The Willabeth Baby Project
by lionessrampant84
Summary: Modern Willabeth and AU. Elizabeth and Will are expecting and therefore fluff and situational comedy ensue. It's like a really good chick flick, only in fan fiction form so, dig in and enjoy! Rated M because well, I think we all know where babies come fro
1. Prolouge and Chapter 1

Author's Note:

First of all, I don't own anything, 'cept what I own. I don't own Will or Elizabeth, I don't own London, I don't own Peter, Bjorn OR John, the song they made that appears in this chapter, or any of their music actually. So, please, no one sue me. I have no money anyway, being as I'm a professional musician.

This is a response to a handful of challenges that appeared on Hide the Rum. I took them, mashed them together, and made them my own. I'm hoping this turns out a bit like a really great chick flick: mostly heartwarming and funny with some smut and angst thrown in there for good measure. If we have Will Turner, we have angst. It's that simple ;)

So, please read and review. This is my first fic and I will take everything you say and mull over it endlessly.

Prologue, _attaca_ Chapter 1

Their wedding had been a relatively simple affair: a short ceremony presided over their close friend, Jack, who had been ordained (somewhat as a "joke", albeit legally) online for that very task and a luncheon at a local restaurant afterwards. Ultimately, the two young lovers only wanted to make legal that which they had known for years now. Now that it was as real in everyone's eyes as it was to them, they could not be happier.

Will's work was in metal-smithing, which for its dwindling list of practical applications was now a popular fine art. He and his father before him had been the ones to really make the transition from a rapidly dying shop to a highly sought-after studio, frequently contracted out by various firms and galleries in art and architecture. Will had recently begun to dabble in working with precious metals and molds to create jewelry. In fact, he had created the wedding bands that he had recently exchanged with Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was too headstrong and driven to even consider being a housewife. For a time, during and immediately following her education, she drifted from job to job, trying them on like clothing. Currently, she was dabbling in the not-for-profit sector, as a development assistant for a childhood literacy program in London. She fondly recalled days spent curled up with a book as a child, in addition to being read to by her father and as she looked for a suitable charity to work for, a program which delivered books to young children and their families offered within the National Literacy Trust had caught her attention. Elizabeth, of course, spent much more time on various hobbies with her diverse and somewhat unfocused pool of interests; she had not been as single minded in her professional pursuits as Will was. The child of London socialites, she had broken with family tradition, moved out young unmarried and made her own way, unswayed by the trappings of her previous lifestyle.

Following their wedding, our lovers moved into a modest one bedroom flat in Brixton. Though it was small, they made it theirs, complete with work from their artistically inclined friends and Will himself. They were situated relatively close to the big market, and often, they invited their friends and family over for dinner and drinks.

This was one such night. Will and Elizabeth were celebrating their upcoming first anniversary and had invited a few close friends in to share in their joy.

Will's father had come into the city for the occasion, as had their dear friends Jack and his on-again, off-again flame Ana Maria. Those two, with all the fire and bickering and two extremely strong personalities couldn't seem to keep it together but always managed to end up with who else, but each other! Dinner had been delicious; one of Elizabeth's many hobbies was cooking and she had pulled out the copy of _The Silver Spoon _Bill Sr. had given them at their wedding and created a fantastic (and filling!) Italian dinner for everyone. Following dinner, everyone lingered at the table for entertaining conversation, as always.

"And that's when I decided that tube tops should be completely banned throughout the land of hope and glory!" Jack cried, dramatically as always, recounting a rather traumatizing experience he had earlier walking through the market. Elizabeth shrieked with laugher, Will smiled and rolled his eyes. Oh, Jack.

"But seriously," Ana added, "The woman's kid was right there! How can any reasonable parent act or even LOOK like that in public?!"

Bill rolled his eyes. "Oh, at the risk of sounding old, it's your generation, kids. We never would have behaved like that in front of you kids. I can only hope that when you all finally settle down and start your families, you'll act a little more…adult."

"When WE settle down?! Honey, we're not totally blind to our faults. It will be a snow day in hell before Jackie and I ever take that leap," Ana laughed.

"This is why I love her, I say! But what about you two lovebirds? How come we haven't seen any development in the second generation of whelps?"

Will stared back at Jack, incredulous. Elizabeth blushed. After a few seconds, Will finally cleared his throat. "Well, erm, we…uh…haven't talked about it seriously, I guess…" Elizabeth grabbed Will's arm simultaneously possessively and supportively and smiled. "We're just waiting for a time when we can afford to move somewhere a little bigger and maybe with a garden and we're really just enjoying our marriage at this point." Will places his hand over hers in silent gratitude for being much more level headed and articulate when blindsided with huge questions about the future. God, she was so good at this, so confident and secure. And it certainly wasn't that he didn't want kids, he did for sure. But it was such a change, such a huge leap to take. He often thought about her past compared to his own and worried about being able to provide everything she wanted and more. He also knew that if it weren't for the sake of practicality, she'd want kids right now. It was something she had hinted at before and probably didn't realize he picked up on. But that was the thing, wasn't it? They each picked up on pretty much everything the other could dish out, however subconsciously.

Bill was the first to interrupt the silence. "Well, I need to be going. Work tomorrow, after all." Jack and Ana ultimately followed suit shortly thereafter, leaving Will and Elizabeth and pile of dishes to themselves.

"Love, go rest," Will told his wife. "You put everything together, you've been on your toes all night…the least I can do is the dishes."

Elizabeth smiled. She wasn't about to turn down a golden offer like this, despite knowing that this was precisely Will's nature. She yawned and walked off the bedroom and flopped down onto the bed and pulled the duvet al the way over her head, smiling into the soft fabric. She was so lucky wasn't she? And Will had been so adorable when asked about kids. She chuckled to herself. She knew that children were an inevitability with them. Secretly, though, she was always longing for an "accident". Seemed like such a wrong word to her: "accident". She longed for something unexpected. That was it.

Elizabeth heard a very sudden and very loud drumbreak from the kitchen, which tore her from her reverie. She loved when Will put on music, often watching him sing and dance a little as he did his chores. She crept to the kitchen and leaned against the doorframe. The song was a hip, new-ish Swedish, she thought, indie pop group. Will was whistling along with the track, shaking his hips a little bit.

She couldn't take it. She walked up behind him and put her hands around his waist. He jumped a little and turned, scooping her up into his arms and kissing her in one fluid motion, without even saying a word. She breathed him in and sighed happily; he smelled like his soap: mandarin oranges, bergamot and clove and his work: smoke and sweat. Elizabeth, in true form, deepened the chaste, quick kiss, gliding her tongue along his lips. Will, obviously, was not about to argue and pulled her completely flush with him, both of them lost in the kiss and the music and each other.

_if i told you things i did before_

_told you how i used to be_

_would you go along with someone like me_

_if you knew my story word for word_

_handled all of my history_

_would you go along with someone like me_

_i did before and had my share_

_it didn't lead nowhere_

_i would go along with someone like you_

_it doesn't matter what you did_

_who you were hanging with_

_we could stick around and see this night through_

Elizabeth was particularly inspired on this particular night. She kept kissing him, down his cheeks, on his eyelids, along his jaw line to his earlobe. She slid her hands under his shirt to feel his bare skin, already on fire with these first few touches. He groaned slightly, before helping her take his shirt off. Immediately, her lips were on his collarbone and his chest and his nipples, and now his hands were under her shirt, grappling furiously with that stubborn bra hook. It was so heated and passionate and…entirely too fast. His lips and tongue were on her face and neck and shoulders, tasting her sweet skin as though he would never again have this opportunity. As she fumbled shakily with his belt buckle, he picked her up and started to walk as straight as he possibly could in the direction of the bedroom. Her hands were in his hair and their lips and tongues were locked. The music was still on.

_and we don't care about the young folks_

_talkin' bout the young style_

_and we don't care about the old folks_

_talkin' 'bout the old style too_

_and we don't care about our own folks_

_talkin' 'bout our own stuff_

_all we care about is talking_

_talking only me and you_

He laid her gently onto the bed and laid above her, smiling genuinely. "I love you," he told her, "I have always, always loved you." She looked back at him adoringly, stroking his face "I love you, too" she whispered back. He began to kiss her again, this time more slowly, teasingly. His mouth reached her breasts and he took her nipple in his mouth, licking it playfully, his free hand upon the other breast, massaging, rolling the other nipple in his fingertips. She gasped and he grinned into her breasts, knowing how much she liked this and how absolutely crazy he could drive her. She was like putty in his hands. She arched her back into him, feeling a growing hardness through his jeans. His jeans! With what little composure she still had, she reached down and after undoing his belt pushed his jeans and boxers down in one fell swoop. Not to be outdone, she took him in her hands, causing him to momentarily divert his attention and moan quietly into her hair. Gently and teasingly she proceeded, running her fingers up and down the length of him, stopping at the most sensitive part to linger and tease him. He groaned again, this time with more intensity. He couldn't take this. He had an idea.

_usually when things has gone this far_

_people tend to disappear_

_no one would surprise me unless you do_

_i can tell there's something goin' on_

_hours seem to disappear_

_everyone is leaving i'm still with you_

_it doesn't matter what we do_

_where we are going to_

_we can stick around and see this night through_

Will dragged his hand slowly down Elizabeth's body as she touched him, over her shoulders, then her breasts, over her hips and into her inner thighs. Then he was _there _and she was no longer touching him; it was like a game of cat and mouse at this point! His thumb found _the_ spot and gently caressed her there, dishing the same medicine she had just given him. Her breathing became instantly more ragged and her back arched and suddenly there was one finger in her, then two, slowly making a "come hither" gesture. She was losing it.

"Will….please…" she begged.

And he didn't have to be told twice. He entered her so gently and lovingly, despite that they had done this hundreds of times before. They both gasped at this intimate contact and she raised her hips into his, matching each thrust. He increased his tempo and went deeper, harder. He looked down at her, her eyes were closed, a look of rapture on her face. She groaned and her breathing quickened and he could tell how close she was. She shuddered under him not a moment later, her muscles there squeezed him and then he could not hold it longer either. He came inside of her and she could feel warm wetness spread throughout her. They collapsed in each other's arms, coming down together, holding on for dear life. Elizabeth buried her face in his chest, so overwhelmed for some reason that tears came to her eyes. He wrapped his arms tighter around her still as she sobbed quietly into his chest and kissed the top of her head lovingly.

_and we don't care about the young folks_

_talkin' bout the young style_

_and we don't care about the old folks_

_talkin' 'bout the old style too_

_and we don't care about our own folks_

_talkin' 'bout our own style_

_all we care about is talking_

_talking only me and you_

_talking only me and you_

_talking only me and you_

_talking only me and you_

At that moment, she knew exactly what felt different about this time.

"Are you ok?" he asked frantically "Did I hurt you? Did I do something wrong? Elizabeth…"

She smiled into his chest before meeting his eyes. "I'm fine," she said. "We're fine."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Weeks passed. It was the unofficial season for grants to be due all at once, and Elizabeth was terribly stressed about the whole ordeal. This was her first year doing this and her mind raced. What if I lose all of our funding?, she thought to herself gloomily. She lost her temper often and easily, and when at home brooded constantly and avoided Will and all of the physical affection he regularly gave her. Needless to say, Elizabeth had completely forgotten about her secret baby-fever and the events of their anniversary dinner.

Will couldn't help but notice that Elizabeth seemed completely exhausted, but slept fitfully night after night. She had bags under her eyes and dragged herself around the flat. He tried to help, tried to offer her support but she was largely taciturn. The deadline for her pile of grants was approaching soon and sensing that she needed her space, Will spent extra time at his studio. Space is healthy for relationships, he thought to himself, especially marriages. And it couldn't hurt to take on a few extra commissions and sell a few extra pieces. The sooner he did that, the sooner his studio would grow in renown and the sooner he could give Elizabeth the family she wanted. Then, she would be happy. All he wanted in the world was to make her happy.

One day, Elizabeth stopped by a little bath store she loved on King Street in Kensington. It was pricey and decadent, but so lovely and she deserved a treat after the couple weeks she had just endured. Hoping to get some sleep, she picked up a bar (yes, a bar) of lavender bubble bath and little bar of lavender and chamomile melty bath oils. She sighed and headed home. Her whole body ached. Even her breasts ached…she wondered how she had managed to achieve that particular pain, but it had been lingering and wasn't going away. She noticed it one night maybe 3 weeks ago (it had already been 3 weeks since this pain started?! she asked herself) when she and Will went to make love. Normally, she loved it when he touched her there; he could bring her to the brink and over with just those caresses. But this time, it had been so painful she had to stop him.

She chalked all of these things up to the stress of her job. With literally no experience, she had been thrown into a highly significant role. What a stupid woman she was to have taken this on! Every day she did research, and every day grant applications came back marked up by her boss. Ugh! There were just so MANY of them! She ran the bath and crumbled the bubble bath into the water. What the hell, she thought and threw the melt in as well. She lowered herself into the bath and inhaled deeply. This smells terribly strong, she thought to herself. Too strong. Vile, in fact. She felt her stomach lurch. What is going on?! she thought. Normally, this is my favorite bath cocktail in the whole univ…. She gagged, then, made it to the toilet just in time (good thing this bloody bathroom is so small, she mused before retching again). She daren't get up. She felt dizzy and heavy and swollen and sore. She wanted to escape the terrible smell, but her stomach didn't permit her the luxury of motion.

Will walked into the flat some minutes later, only to find his wife sprawled, naked, on the bath mat next to the toilet.

"My god, Elizabeth! What's wrong?! Are you ok?!"

"I…I…don't feel well. I think I have the bloody flu. Fine damn time to have the bloody flu…"

"Here, let me…" Will pulled her to her feet gently, wrapping her bathrobe around her and carrying her to bed. "When did all this happen? Did your bath not help?"

"But, Will, it smells so…rank…I just…it made me sick"

"Darling, it smells like flowers. You love flowers!"

"These flowers are evil," Elizabeth groaned. "All of a sudden, I just couldn't handle it and I felt so sick. I feel like absolute rubbish…"

"Shhhh, shhhhh. You look beautiful," he said stroking her hair. "You don't feel warm. Is this because of work, do you think? You should stay in bed. Here, I'll stay home with you." She smiled inwardly, despite feeling rotten. He was so adorable. He talked so much, so fast when he was trying to care for her.

"Will, don't do that. You know I need to go in to work today." Elizabeth got to her feet and swayed before falling back against the bed, her stomach lurching again. Will grabbed a (a/n: what is it they call these across the pond? Rubbish bins?) just in time.

"No, you'll stay here. I'll call RIF and get you some soup." Will disappeared and Elizabeth sunk into the pillows and cried. Why was she crying? What was going on?! She would have to quit her job; that was clearly the only logical solution. It had been nice and all, but she'd have to try a new job, again, and hopefully it would be a better fit. A damn shame, too, since she really loved RIF's mission and felt passionate about her work, but that didn't keep her from feeling like a total idiot lately.

Will returned moments later with soup and crackers for his wife who lay motionless on their bed. She rolled over with a groan. "Will, what IS that awful smell?"

"What smell? Lizzie, this is soup and it smells…like soup…"

"I can't eat it. There's this awful smell…" Elizabeth's stomach continued to tie itself in knots. She couldn't even look at the soup. The thought of all food disgusted her. She retched again.

Will was worried, and understandably so. He, in all the years he had known Elizabeth, had never seen her this sick. He knew how stressed she was, but in all of their various trials and tribulations, she had never reacted like this. Something was different about her lately.

He tried to get her to nibble on crackers and drink some broth, both of which came right back up. She whimpered, and laid in bed for the rest of the day, then slept restlessly at night. In the morning, when she still couldn't hold food down, Will called a doctor and they took a cab to the first possible appointment. He sat in the waiting room uncomfortably as she was examined.

Elizabeth felt groggy, sore and annoyed, but had come here to placate Will. Her Will that took such good care of her, that fussed over her day in and day out.

"And what have your symptoms been?" the doctor implored.

"Well, I've been so tired, constantly, for some weeks now. Not tired like exhausted at the end of the day; I wake up exhausted like I've just been busy all day and by the end of the day I feel as though I've been hit by a bus. Every day. I ache all over. Even my…erm…chest is aching. And lately, I have the sense of smell of a basset hound and the very thought of food makes me vomit. I've been so busy and stressed at work. I'm sure that's it." She sighed.

The doctor smiled.

"Why are you smiling?!" Elizabeth snapped. "I feel absolutely rotten!"

"And have you, Mrs. Turner, also been experience mood swings and sudden irritability?"

Elizabeth slumped. "Maybe," she muttered.

The doctor laughed. Elizabeth simply glared at her. "And when was the first day of your last normal period, Mrs. Turner?"

Elizabeth thought for a second, then froze.

"Um, well…I guess…it was…" A revelation. "Nearly 2 months ago actually," she said.

The doctor smiled knowingly. "Elizabeth, I'd like to run a Quantitative Pregnancy Blood Test on you. It won't take long and shouldn't hurt too much."

Elizabeth was still frozen for the most part, but managed to nod, her eyes wide and her face white.

"Shall I inform Mr. Turner?"

Elizabeth snapped back to reality. "No, no…I'd like to tell him myself…I want it to be certain and…erm…a surprise…" Wow, she thought, just…wow. She wondered how she should inform

"Well, I'll just inform him you will be undergoing a short blood test and leave it at that." The doctor left the room.

My god, thought Elizabeth. It's happened.

In the waiting room, Will Turner flipped through magazines impatiently. It seemed to be taking forever for the doctor to make sure Elizabeth was ok, give her some medicine and send her home, where he could watch over her and make everything better. As if summoned, the doctor appeared in the waiting room. "Mr. Turner?"

Will turned. "Yes?"

"I'd like to run a routine blood test on your wife. It shouldn't take long. She wanted you to know."

"Blood test?! Is she going to be ok?"

"Mr. Turner," the doctor smiled, "She's going to be just fine. Our lab will call your wife with her results within 24 hours."

Moments later, Elizabeth appeared with a bandage on her forearm, looking absolutely bamboozled. Will took her arm to support her and guided her into a taxi. "Love?" he asked, "Why did they test your blood? The doctor wouldn't tell me anything…are you all right?..."

She put a finger to his mouth before resting her head on his chest. "Will, let's not fret until we've heard what the lab has to say…"

"But, Lizzie! This scares me. Is it something so terrible? Why can't you tell me?! You could be dying of cancer and I wouldn't know, because it's up to you to tell me…."

"Will…shhhh. Did the doctor not tell you I would be just fine?"

"She did, but…"

"We'll know more tomorrow. Please, don't worry. For me, ok?"

The taxi pulled up in front of their flat and Will helped Elizabeth up the stairs and back into bed. She fell asleep almost immediately, and he laid next to her, glued to her side, worrying incessantly.

He woke up to the phone ringing. He must have dozed off; the television was still on, as were all of the lights, but it was now late evening. He picked it up, as not to wake Elizabeth. "'ello" he rasped into the phone, still drowsy as hell.

"This is Brixton Labs. We have your wife's test results."

"Already?" he asked. "Is it serious?"

"Well, yes, but…don't worry."

"What is it with everyone telling me not to worry?! Can you just tell me what is wrong with my wife so we can start treatment and recovery and…" Will hadn't realized he'd been yelling. Elizabeth stirred next to him.

"Will?..." she asked drowsily.

"Mr. Turner, I'll need to speak with your wife."

Will gave up and handed the phone to his wife, looking at her apologetically. Of course losing his temper wasn't going to help her get better. He had to remain calm. He had to stay strong if they were going to get through this. In sickness and in health, that had been part of the vow he made to her a little over a year ago…

"Thank you. Yes, I'll make that appointment straight away. Yes…yes…well, thank you again. Yes, really. Me, too. Ok, good night."

"Well…" Will asked, "can you tell me now? Do I need to worry?"

"Of course you don't need to worry, William. I'm fine. Fit as a fiddle."

"Then why did they test you? What did they think was wrong? Darling, I think we should be getting a second opinion, although you look better already, but still…if it's something terribly serious, we should be completely sure…."

"Oh Will." Elizabeth smiled to herself. "Micro-biology doesn't exactly lie."

"But it can be inconclusive! I'm sure there are other tests!..."

"None as accurate as this one. Shhhh…you should go back to sleep. Stop worrying about me. It'll be over in a few weeks."

"Weeks?! Elizabeth, what strange but non-terminal disease is it that you have exactly?! And how will you survive without food for weeks?! And you said you needed another doctor visit and...and…"

Elizabeth laughed. And rolled her eyes.

"And now, you're patronizing me."

"William," Elizabeth sat up and Will rolled over so that his head was in her lap. "Do you really, really want to know what it is I have?"

"Yes!" Will cried; exasperated, wide-eyed.

"Will…I'm pregnant. We're…we're pregnant. We're having a baby together."

All of Will's thoughts stopped immediately and all of his words were caught in his throat, forming a large, hard lump. He sat up, facing Elizabeth, his eyes wide and brimmed with tears already. He couldn't speak. He felt a tear fall and noticed she was crying, too. His hands went to her face and he kissed her. "I…I can't…me? Us?"

"Yes," she nodded, showing him his private smile. "Yes!"

"Oh my god, Lizzie! I'm going to…you're…we're going to be parents!"

She nodded excitedly, beaming. So was he. He took her in his arms, he kissed her lips and her face. He pulled away and gently kissed her belly.

"You mean to tell me that there's a little you and me combination growing in there right now?" Will was absolutely floored. He was elated, but couldn't help feel more terrified than he ever had before. He wasn't this scared when he married her; not even when he asked her father for permission to do so, or when he finished school and took over the fledgling family business. His stomach was doing joyful back flips, but it somehow simultaneously formed a pit, which sunk even more when he looked at her and saw her glowing above him. This wasn't exactly part of the plan. He loved Elizabeth bigger than the sky, infinity times infinity. But he couldn't help but worry about his ability to provide for his wife and this infant. And he would love his child, of course. He already did and he had known about him or her for approximately 3 minutes. But his joy was nonetheless clouded by fear. He dare not let Elizabeth know. She had wanted this for years now.

"How long…when…."

"I'm about 6 weeks along. So we have around 34 to go. I cannot believe I didn't bloody figure it out," she chattered along happily "I just thought my level of extreme laziness had caused me to balloon to the point of feeling this absolutely disgusting."

Their lives had forever changed already, but now he had 34 short weeks to rearrange his whole life for this wonderful little stranger.

He couldn't have been happier. He also couldn't have been more scared.


	3. Chapter 3

And we're back! You can thank my cable company for the delay. They thought it would be fun to borrow my cable line and give it to my neighbor instead.

Standard Disclaimer: If you recognize it from the Pirates franchise, Disney owns it. Not me.

For the purposes of the story, I've resurrected Elizabeth's mother. She's called "Mary". It just worked.

I would like to dedicate this to my mom.

Mom: I have always been amazed that I managed to give birth to such an interesting person.

Me: Is that interesting in a good way or a bad way?

Mom: Interesting in an interesting way.

Love you Mom!

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Chapter 3

Will sat there, completely dumbfounded. His thoughts turned immediately to he an Elizabeth in bed, with a tiny baby between them, to taking a stroller through the market and the park, to dirty diapers… Dirty diapers! Will didn't know the first thing about diapers. Or feeding a baby. Or, criminey, even how to hold an infant…

Elizabeth's voice snapped Will back to his immediate reality (which was a pregnant wife with morning sickness that had lasted virtually all day).

"William! We have to tell EVERYONE. Who should we call first?!"

"Call? Um…like with a phone?"

"That's generally how calls are achieved, yes." Elizabeth rolled her eyes.

"But this is as significant as, dare I say more significant, than when we got engaged," Will said, to which Elizabeth pouted her lips. "Shouldn't we…I dunno…take our parents out to dinner or something? What about Jack and Ana? Surely they deserve to be told in person."

"Yes, that's fair. And I'm kind of looking forward to the look on Jackie's face when he finds out that you are not, in fact, a eunuch."

For that comment, Will hoisted a pillow and made direct connection with the back of Elizabeth's head.

"H..heeeyyy! You can't do that! I'm…."

"Excuses, excuses, darling," Will laughed as he started to tickle her.

"William, the doctors have said that tickling me could harm the baby." Elizabeth said, deadpan. The color fell immediately from Will's face. He pulled his hands back and started to stutter nervously, yet again.

"I…uh…my god…I just…doctor?"

Elizabeth burst out laughing. "Oh wow. I'm a horrible person. I'm sorry. That was a joke. Wow. I didn't think you'd fall for that. Are you o-" She couldn't finish. She was too busy squirming with a full-on tickle blitz from her husband.

"Elizabeth?" He paused.

"Y..hehehe…y..es…?"

"Never do that again. I mean, you know me!"

"Touche. Let's get the parent calls out of the way, no?"

Will released her. "Ok. You're in charge of your parents. I'll call my dad."

"That is TOTALLY unfair and you know it! Get the other phone, you wimp!" Will rolled his eyes and slumped out to the living room, where he grabbed the phone and slumped right back into bed.

"Ready?"

"Oh, don't you know it," Will said sarcastically. But the phone was already ringing.

"'ello?" Elizabeth's father answered. He had never approved of their relationship while they were dating and while he had made small gains in his attitude towards his daughter's marriage to an artist with no university education, he still refused to accept it completely. Despite the fact that Will wore his heart on his sleeve and made it quite obvious that his world revolved around Elizabeth, unlike the jerks she had dated in University. Despite the fact that Will had never been anything but polite and proper in his presence.

"Hi Daddy!" Elizabeth chirped. "Can you put Mum on the phone? Please? Will say hello, darling."

"Uh, hello…"

"Hello William. Mary…pick up the phone! Lizzie wants to speak with us!"

"Lizzie dear! Are you all right? What's going on?" Mary asked.

"Oh, we're fine, Mum! Will and I ...Will, say hello to Mum…"

"Hello."

"Hello William. So out with it Lizzie!"

"Well, we wanted to invite you over for dinner tomorrow!"

Tomorrow? Will thought. Does no one understand self-employment?

"Oh, dear! You had me all excited for a moment! I thought you had big news, like a better job or a grandchild"

Or a divorce from me, Will thought.

"Oh…erm…no, it's just the dinner."

"Weatherby? Can we do that?"

"Of course we can for our little girl! What time do you want us there?"

"What time is good for you, Will?" Elizabeth asked.

"Erm…how about…7?"

"We'll be there! Ok, Lizzie, we love you!"

"Love you, too, Mum and Dad!"

"Goodnight Mr. and Mrs. Swann…."

Click.

"Well, that could have been far more disastrous, and wasn't. Good show, Lizzie!" Will mused.

"Oh, they've gotten over it, and you know it."

"Oh yes, they sure have. That phone call, in which they said 4 words to me, proved it. And when they found out my undereducated, socially disconnected, artist ass has gotten you pregnant, they'll surely love me and my choice in career even more!"

"It was your ass that got me pregnant? I wasn't aware that's how it worked. Quite the talent you have there, Mr. Turner."

"You're a fool. You're a fool and that's partly why I love you. Shall we call my dad now?"

"Absolutely." Will dialed and after a few rings Bill Sr. picked up.

"'ello?"

"Hello Bill!"

"Elizabeth! Good to hear from you! Will said you weren't feeling well this morning…"

"Did he now?"

"Yes, I do talk to my father and tell him things on occasion," Will laughed.

"So, are you ok, Elizabeth?"

"Yes, thanks. In fact…"

"We'd like you to come over for dinner tomorrow night. Around 7. Could you make it?"

"Oh! I'd love to!"

Both Elizabeth and Will knew how much Bill loved to be included in any kind of family gathering they could conceive of. Will's mother had passed away when Will was 12, leaving Will and his father with no one in the area but each other. As a result, they were extremely close. Bill had embraced Elizabeth as a daughter almost immediately after she and Will began dating. Bill knew his son and knew from those first meetings that Elizabeth was the one for Will. He watched how happy his son was then, and continued to be to this day. Furthermore, he could see the effect his son had on Elizabeth. Yes, these two were made or each other, he concluded.

"Well…great! See you then!" Will prepared to hang up the receiver.

"Is everything ok, you two?"

"Of course it is," Elizabeth said. "Why would it not be?"

"Well, we went from my son being worried that his beloved wife was on her death bed, to a dinner party invitation. I realize that my brooding, artistic son has a tendency to over-react, but I just thought I'd make sure…" Bill said, suspicious. Of course he knew something was going on. Will confided in him with so much and so often that it was impossible for him not to have developed a sixth sense about his boy.

"Erm, no! We're good!"

"If you say so, son. See you tomorrow then!"

"Bye" Elizabeth and Will chimed in unison.

"He knows, doesn't he?" Elizabeth asked her husband.

"Well, probably figures as much, yes. He and my mother did have a baby once, too, you know!"

"Yes, I know. An adorable one, too. Shall we call…"

As if on cue, the phone rang. Will looked at the caller ID.

Sparrow, J.

"He's uncanny, isn't he?" Will picked up the phone. "'ello?"

"William! Dear [CRASH! William! How [CRASH are you this evening?!"

"Jack? Is everything?..."

"[CRASH Well…[SHATTER Let's just say I'm going to need for you to [CRASH pick me up [CRASH um…now."

"What did you do now?"

"I'll explain later. Just [SHATTER help me?"

"And if I said no, that I was busy tending to my sick wife?"

"I'd [CRASH remind you that [SHATTER the ol' ball and chain's a big girl who can take [SMASH care of her- OW! Self?"

"That attitude is exactly what gets you into these situations," Will said, rolling his eyes. "Let me check with Elizabeth."

"What now?" Elizabeth asked.

"It sounds like Jack and Ana are once again on the outs, and that it is costing them most of their dishes. Is it ok if I-"

"Yes," Elizabeth sighed. "You better go."

"I'll be back soon, I promise. If you need anything you'll ring my mobile?"

"Yes, dear."

"Are you sure you're ok with me leaving you?"

"Yes. You know what? Strongly suggest to Ana that she get over here. We'll eat some ice cream and watch John Cusack movies."

Will smiled. "I will. I love you, ok?" He kissed her. "And I love you, too." He kissed her just below the belly button.

"And I love you, my peace-keeping husband."


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters you may recognize from Pirates. Disney owns them; I just borrow them and make sure to have them all home and tucked into bed on time.

This chapter is Jack heavy, for no reason other than that I'm in love with him. Ok, and I will probably need to use him a lot in the future of this fic. And Ana, too!

HALI, STEPHCALVINO, ELLOPOPPET, WILLIZ AND SLOBBERNECK: Thanks for your helps! This one's for the ladayyysss at HTR…oh god. Someone stop me. Slob, Jon's…I mean Jack's…shameless hussy actions in this chapter are dedicated to you.

To all of my readers, thank you SO MUCH for your reviews and favorite-ing! Yay! I'm so glad you all like this, being as how I've never done this before and I'm still a little illiterate! Hooray for you! I hope you continue to like it!

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Chapter 4

Will arrived at Jack Sparrow's flat, and not a moment too soon. Having run out of dishes, Ana was now hurling whatever objects she could reasonably throw: books, cutlery, picture frames, the various decorative souvenirs Jack has amassed on his travels. It was all fair game. If it was heavy and/or breakable, then all the better as far as Ana was concerned.

Will showed himself into the flat, dodging a flying dictionary in the process.

"But it didn't MEAN anything, love!" Jack pleaded, to which Ana responded with a blood curdling scream.

"Yes, of course!" She yelled, "I'll let you be the bloody judge of what means something! Brilliant! Just bloody damn brilliant, Jack!"

"Oh, look who's heeeere! It's young William!"

Ana looked at Will and relaxed a little bit, not wanting to appear as though she had completely lost it, despite that deep down, she felt both satisfied and justified in her actions. "Eh, yes. Hello, Will. I suppose you've come to cart off my absolute arse of an ex-boyfriend?"

Following that comment, Jack looked like he had been slapped, which he had been, verbally. He opened his mouth as if to say something.

"No, Jack. No explaining. You're going to need to go now."

Will stepped in. "Actually, Ana, Elizabeth really wants you to come over. She's been feeling a bit rubbish today and thought you two could commiserate and whatnot. Why don't I stay here and help Jack clean up, and you go along and clear your head?" he suggested gently.

"Oh, Will." Ana said, "Are you sure? You really don't have to do this."

"You two are our best friends. Of course I have to do this. Now, are you ok getting there by yourself or do you need anything?..."

"No, I'll walk. It's not too far and I need some time to think" She glared at Jack. "I'll be going back to my own flat tonight, which reminds me. I'm going to need my spare keys back." Everyone silently and separately thanked the powers that be that Jack and Ana had opted to maintain separate flats. Will, mostly because he really had no time or space to have one of them move in; an inevitability had the two tortured lovers decided to move in together.

Jack very slowly and dramatically scooted over to the door and took his keys down off the hook. His eyes were wide and he was clearly making a show of his actions, as Jack Sparrow was wont to do. He slowly and methodically, as though he were caught in police lights, removed Ana's keys and threw them in her direction. They landed a few feet shy of her feet. She scoffed and reached down to pick them up. Will rolled his eyes. It's a wonder these two manage ANY sort of relationship with his antics, he thought. Why, I would have punched him in the stomach a long time ago if I were his girlfriend. Will shuddered at that particular thought as Ana stormed off, slamming the door behind her and causing the horseshoe Will had given Jack to mount above his door to fall comically to the floor with a loud thud.

"So which was it this time, mate? Women or booze?" Will asked as he walked off to the kitchen to fetch a broom.

"You know me, mate! I'm Jack Sparrow!"

Will handed Jack the broom. "So it was both, then."

"Perhaps…"

"Do tell. I'm compiling all of your exploits into a cautionary tale to be distributed to any man under the age of…whenever they start dating these days…so that this infernal nonsense stops happening." For Will, and perhaps it was just because of his overwhelming love for his wife and his desire to keep her safe and happy, philandering and drunken debauchery were obvious sore spots. He hated to see women mistreated presumably because he couldn't stand to see Elizabeth mistreated. It was all he had to endure as she dated polo-player-this and trust-fund-beneficiary-that in University. Back when they were "just friends" and she had cried on his shoulder on more than one occasion.

"Eh, mate, it's always the same. I go to a pub, I have a little too much to drink, and a sultry wench ends up on my lap, and we get to talking…. Only, Ana's friends are not generally present with their camera phone wotsits." Jack lamented, as he swept up the remnants of his set of dishes. "And now, I have no plates. How in the bloody hell am I supposed to eat?"

"Did you sleep with her, Jack?" Will inquired harshly, leaning up against a wall and watching his friend do all the work.

"No, no. I passed out before it could get to that point."

"And, let me guess, Ana had to come and pick you up in the morning. You know, we're friends, but I honestly can't offer you an ounce of sympathy!..." Will went off angrily, as he picked up books and slammed them back onto the bookshelf. It had been a long day, it was late, and he wanted to be next to Elizabeth, processing all of his doubts and fears into something a little more positive. Jack flamboyantly swept up the last of the glass shards, pausing momentarily to sadly behold the shattered remnants of a fascinating compass he had picked up somewhere on Barbados.

"William. First of all, this is not the first time this has happened, and while I realize I'm a horrible person, I'm not the one who begs her to come back. Secondly, in the past, you have largely remained mute in your opinions about my relationships unless you have some sort of encouragement, as most red-blooded males will do, despite that I know you better than that and I know what you're really thinking. Thirdly, the intuition I have developed as your best mate over the years informs me that you are troubled by something, thus the emotional pyrotechnics. This can all only mean one thing, which is that we should find a pub immediately."

Will weighed his options quickly. Ana would be with Elizabeth and he trusted her to make sure nothing totally awful happened. And he trusted Elizabeth would, in fact, call his mobile if she needed anything, and her certainly wouldn't become so impaired as to not be able to help if needed and, and….he was probably worrying too much anyway.

Will looked around at Jack's flat. It was as eclectic as Jack himself, complete with a tiled living room and furnishings constructed almost entirely from milk crates and stray panels of particleboard that Jack had hand-laminated in packing tape and maps of the Underground. Except, of course, for a couch that Will never had the courage to inquire as to its origins. It was ugly and smelled strange, but was heavenly soft and had swallowed Will and Elizabeth alive after several of Jack's impromptu "salons" when it had been too late to get home. Jack painted as a side hobby and in order to save on canvas had been using oil paint and charcoal on plywood instead. He chuckled to himself as he saw that Ana had apparently thrown a full glass of something at a painting Jack had done for her, spilling fizzy brown liquid all over the painted yellow wood that simply said "Maranga" in black in the lower right corner. He remembered telling Jack that Ana would be pleased to receive a piece of art from him as a gift, just as Elizabeth was when he brought something from the studio home just for her. "Maranga" meant pretty in a dialect of Filipino, partly Ana's nationality, both of which it had taken Jack some research to arrive at. Secretly, Will envied Jack and his devil-may-care attitude and wished earnestly he could let the weight of the world slide off his back the way Jack did. Maybe he'd tell Jack everything, secretly of course.

"Ok." Will said.

"Ok? Mate, I was expecting you to give me the top 100 reasons your bonny lass cannot spend more than 36 seconds alone! Well, let's get on, then. Before you change your mind!"

The two left and walked to a small, relatively quiet nearby pub and sat down at the bar.

"What'll it be?" asked the barkeep.

Will sighed "Lager and…"

"Lager?! Are you daft? Barkeep, this man is seriously troubled and needs to be seriously obliterated as fast as possible. And he's a cheap date so it shan't be too difficult. Irish carbombs for both of us!"

No sooner had Will managed to ask "what the heck is an Irish carbomb?", the barkeep plunked down a small glass with Jameson whiskey topped with Bailey's liqueur.

"Drink it now before it curdles!" Jack warned somewhat spastically.

"Curdles? I'm about to ingest something that instantly curdles?"

"Drink up, me hearty! Pleeease?" Jack took his shot.

"Fine." Will took the shot and grimaced. "That was AWFUL!"

"Which is exactly why you chase it with Guiness." Jack handed him a half-full cup of 'Irish motor oil' as he affectionately referred to it. "Cheers, mate!" Will begrudgingly clinked glasses with his decidedly annoying best mate and took a deep swallow. Maybe this was just what he needed, he thought. "I'll take another!" Will said enthusiastically. Jack's eyes went wide as the barkeep set another shot down in front of Will.

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Ana knocked on the door to Elizabeth and Will's flat, expecting an Elizabeth in a bathrobe with sunken eyes to answer, but what she got instead truly surprised her. Elizabeth answered the door, dressed modestly against the fall chill in a sweater and jeans, glowing and grinning like a chesire cat.

"Ana! Oh my god, are you all right?" Elizabeth asked, doing her best to feign genuine concern.

Ana looked back at Elizabeth quizzically, "I was going to ask you the same, but clearly your husband was hallucinating when he said you were sick and confined to bed."

"Oh, yeah. I did feel quite awful this morning and yesterday, but it's ok now. Come in, I've just made some snacks and pulled out Say Anything, king of the chick flicks…"

Ana stepped into the flat and looked around for the flowers or gifts or any evidence that would have caused Elizabeth's mysterious perkiness. "Snacks? You made snacks? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Wrong with me? Why would making snacks to comfort my hurt friend be wrong?"

Ana sighed. "I don't know about hurt. We've been here before, and with me at the helm, we'll soon be here again. I just need to bloody get away from anything with external genitalia for a while."

"Well, then you've come to the right place!" Ana settled into the futon Elizabeth and Will had in front of their TV as Elizabeth brought in two artfully arranged trays of food.

"I'm serious, Elizabeth," Ana said, this time with what appeared to be genuine concern "This is scaring me."

"We'll talk about me later," Elizabeth said as she pushed play on the DVD remote. "Do you need to vent about your serious arse of an ex-boyfriend?" Elizabeth laughed inwardly at the choice of insult Ana used time and time again to refer to Jack when they were "broken up".

"Ugh. Same as always. I don't know why I always fall for this kind of thing. It just seems like he's almost ready to settle and act like a normal human being, he does something like this."

"And what was it this time?" Elizabeth said, munching on a cookie.

"Oh, Giselle happened to catch him via camera phone with some chick draped all over him for half the night. And then, when he was too impaired to get himself back to his flat, he had the nerve to call ME!"

"Ana," Elizabeth said gently, "this isn't the first time…"

"I know, and I don't know why I do this. He's just so…"

"Enigmatic?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of "hot and sexy", but enigmatic also works." Ana sighed heavily. "I guess I just can't figure out whether to forgive him for the sake of keeping our circle of friends conflict free and ensure that the good shags continue, or to wipe him permanently from my life."

Elizabeth winced a little bit at that. Jack had been a major player in getting her relationship with Will off the ground and was a dear friend, as was Ana. She always hated these spats, although Ana seemed more dejected with every break-up and she knew the end was drawing near. She would hate to have to choose between them or put energy into purposely avoiding one to appease the other and she desperately wanted them both to be involved in the birth of her baby, and had even toyed with the possibility of making them the baby's godparents as she prepared snacks that afternoon, knowing her parents would insist the baby be baptized despite her and Will's general apathy.

Will, she thought. Where is he? It had been a while since he had left to help Jack clean up…she had just assumed he'd bring Ana over with him. A bit peculiar for him to just run off without alerting her as to his whereabouts, especially since he had been so overprotective what with their big news.

"Ugh. I am in need of a cosmo right now," Ana said. "Can I get you one?"

"No, thanks" Elizabeth said. That's right, she thought. No alcohol for a while.

"Wait. Did I hear you correctly? Did you just turn down one of my world famous COSMOPOLITANS, which are your favorite drink in the world, that we have every time we get together?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm ok, it's just…"

"Are you sure you're ok? Should I call Will?"

"No, no…it's just…" Elizabeth weighed the options. Surely a civilized dinner or outing with Jack and Ana was off, at least for a while. She could tell Ana without Will, right? He would understand, right? And maybe it would cheer Ana up some.

Elizabeth smiled.

"Ana, I'm pregnant!" she squealed.

Jack sat next to Will, regarding his quiet friend through the last lingering throes of sobriety he possessed. From the looks of it, Will was much farther gone than he was.

"So, mate, ya gonna tell me what's eatin' ya?" Jack slurred.

Will banged his glass down on the bar. "Can't, mate. 'Lizabeth would have my 'ead."

"Ah, so there IS somethin'! And it's to do with your lady."

"Aye. But she wants ta tell ya at some dinner or somethin'"

"Will, 'Lizabeth is over there with Ana. What make you think there's gonna be some dinner or somethin'?"

Will burst out laughing for no apparent reason. "You're RIGHT!" he giggled. "Ana HATES you now!"

"Wouldn't go that far. So, since you'll not be seein' me for a bit, why not just tell me, since it'll make you feel better."

Will nodded, exaggerated in his motions as any good drunk is. He hit Jack on the back heartily. "Ya know what, mate? You're so RIGHT!" More laughing. Will swallowed hard. "Ready?"

"Erm..ready!" Jack said, indulging and amused by Will's drunkenness.

"Elizabeth is PREGNANT! We're having a baby!"

"Will, that's…that's great!" Jack said, supportive but really unsure of how to react to anything involving children, especially with a belly full of liquor. Pregnancy was something he actively avoided, but had heard was a desired state for some. "So you're not a eunuch?"

"Elizabeth SAID you would say that!" The drunken laughing persisted. "And now, her parents are gonna hate me and she's gonna hate me because I can't buy her a fancy flat in Knightsbridge and a fancy pram for the baby…."

"Will. WILLIAM." Jack slurred. "I shall give you some advice. There comes a time in every man's life when all of the…little…monkeys file in a line. And then, mate, you've got to do what you...do…before you don't do what you…didn't. See?"

Will just laughed hysterically. "And we'll qualify for food stamps because I didn't go to Uni!" Then, he fell off of his chair onto a heap on the ground, sending his wallet and mobile sliding out of his pocket and across the floor.

Jack immediately lowered himself and propped Will up, the grabbed the errant phone. "3 missed calls, eh? Well, mate, it's best we be getting' you home because we wouldn't bboth of us in serious shit, would we?"

"Heh heh…monkeys…" Will mumbled.

"All right, on 3…" Jack propped Will up and walked him out of the bar before slapping some of Will's money onto the bar. "G'night barkeep!"

Elizabeth awoke to a knock at the door. She glanced at the clock. 2AM? Who was knocking on her door at 2AM? Then she realized it; she was on the futon with Ana, not Will, and, in fact, there were no signs of Will in the flat. In fact, she didn't recall him returning her calls. She also didn't recall falling asleep, but her body and mind were both exhausted.

Oh god, what did you do…she thought to herself before getting up and opening the door.

There stood Jack, with a thoroughly inebriated Will leaning on him, laughing and singing something intelligible.

"Good morning, Miss," Jack said. "I have a special delivery for you." Jack shoved Will towards Elizabeth, and she caught him, his weight causing her to step back.

"Lizzie!" Will said excitedly, before he made the connection. "Lizzie. I am SO SORRY. Do you hate me?"

Elizabeth glared daggers at Jack. "Of course I don't hate you dear, but let's kick this scumbag out and get you to bed." Elizabeth shut the door before Jack had the chance to say something.

"Erm, congratulations!" Jack yelled through the mail slot.

"So you told him."

"Please, Lizzie, don't you go and hit me…" Will trailed off, going back into his song.

"Ok, bed's over here. There you go."

Will collapsed into bed, passing out as his head hit the pillow. Elizabeth shook her head as she walked into the bathroom to get into her pajamas on. If the rest of the pregnancy was this eventful, she was in for an adventure. And they hadn't even told their parents.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: The characters don't belong to me. The Steve Reich Ensemble and Music for 18 don't technically belong to me, though my contemporary ensemble totally OWNED IT at the Chicago Premier of the piece. Everything else is a figment of my imagination and to be taken as such.

If you have time to kill, LISTEN TO MUSIC FOR 18 MUSICIANS. I'm telling you, it is the best piece. And you'll be like "this is classical?" It's on iTunes! Go! At least listen to IV Section IIA and VIII Section VI. Pease? ;)

Gee, poor Will is 0 for…what is this? Chapter 5? Poor guy. Anyway, thanks to UNACYMBAL for her big ideas this chapter and as always, SLOBBERNECK for being a shameless hussy. Maybe I'll stop torturing Will at some point.

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Chapter 5

Will Turner awoke to a pounding, throbbing headache. He still felt disoriented and wobbly, which lead him to believe that in addition to being dehydrated and exhausted, he was probably still drunk. His stomach lurched. This is not going to be a good morning, I can just feel it, he thought as he closed his eyes against the intruding sunlight.

Will swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up, steadying himself and slowly, manually focusing his vision. Where was Elizabeth? He put his hand on the bed behind him and realized her side of the bed was cold and empty. God, am I an idiot, he thought. Using all available mental and physical capacities, he pulled himself to his feet and slowly staggered off to find his wife.

It didn't take long to find her, and the sound of her retching made his stomach tie into even tighter knots. She was spending another morning paying homage to the porcelain god.

"Elizabeth?"

She turned, wiped her mouth and looked at him. "Well, good morning Captain Drunky McDrunkerson." She retched again.

"Are…is…do you need anything?" Will stammered, closing his eyes against the throbbing pain of his headache.

"I would ask you the same." She smiled weakly at him then retched once more.

"Good God, Elizabeth, how long do you have to go through this?" Will steadied himself again, all things coming into harsh focus as reality hit him yet again. He positioned himself on the side of the bathtub and rubbed his wife's shoulders gently.

"I'm not certain, which reminds me that I need to make a doctor's appointment today. Do you know when you're available for certain later this week?"

"Love, do whatever is best for you and I will make sure I'm there." Will assured her. His head continued to throb. He swallowed the nausea he was feeling; the world really did not need two Turners curled up on the bathroom floor. And Will didn't have the same rock solid excuse his wife had.

Elizabeth sat up and sighed, clutching her belly. "Ugh. I think that's it for now. I should really call RIF and assure them that I'm still alive." She paused and rubbed her belly. "I wonder for how long I get to maintain my girlish figure…"

Then, as if she had been eavesdropping, Ana appeared at the door next to Will. "Oh god, Liz! Are you ok? Are you seriously worrying about getting big? I mean…it sort of comes with the territory and…aren't you at least kind of looking forward to showing?"

Will winced at the excitement and dynamic of Ana's voice. "Lizzie, you will still be, and always be, the most beautiful woman on the face of the planet. My beautiful!" He mused quietly in her hear, recalling an old nickname he had for her when they began dating. Will, was in fact, secretly looking forward to her showing…to feeling the baby kick, to everything….

Elizabeth smiled. "Good morning, Ana. Yes, actually I am," she responded to Ana. "Ok, I'm going to try getting up…" With Will's help, Elizabeth hoisted herself to her feet and walked to the sink, dousing her face in cold water. She dried off, and then fumbled around in the medicine cabinet. Turning to Will, she handed him two ibuprofen tablets. "As for you, take these and drink some Gatorade, get some food in your stomach, and for the love of god, brush your teeth." She giggled at her own crack and threw her arms around her husband, kissing him again and again.

"Alright, you two. Break it up." Ana laughed. "I better be going. Elizabeth, call me if you need anything, ok?"

Elizabeth got up to see Ana out, leaving Will to tend to his hangover. She pulled some bread out and proceeded to make some plain toast for both of them, calling her office in the process. She would undoubtedly have to come up with some alternate arrangement. Perhaps she could work from home, or work part time from home or something. She was currently the primary breadwinner and she would be lying if she said she wasn't worried about what would happen immediately following the baby's birth. But she knew her Will, and she knew that they would work through it together and figure it out. She also knew that she would go to the ends of the earth for Will and now for this baby. And that Will would do the same for her.

Elizabeth had just finished pouring coffee when Will appeared, his long hair still wet from his shower and tied back in a bandana as it always was when he was headed to the studio. Elizabeth, despite the length of time she had known him and even been married to him, still swooned as he walked by. All he was wearing were jeans and a plain black tee, but…she couldn't help it. He was easy on the eyes, he was hers and her mood was swinging in a positive direction for once. He walked up to her and put his arms around her waist and gave her a quick kiss on her neck and she handed him a cup of coffee with the exact ratio of milk to sugar to coffee he preferred. It was these quick but intimate exchanges she loved. After a few moments of breakfast table small talk and quick kisses, they were off to work.

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Will arrived at his studio to a rather large pile of work to be done. It had been those extra commissions he had taken on during the weeks when Elizabeth had preferred to be alone or else, and the work was pretty important. He had a commission for a sculpture that was to go in the lobby of a new office building; a commission for a few separate smaller works to be installed in Underground stations (they were trying to "beautify" public transportation, or so they said.) and finally, he was working with a glass-worker he knew on a huge undertaking: cleaning and restoring a Tiffany glass window. Will's part of the job was tedious and completely uninteresting, but it paid well, and he was proud to have his name on the project. It would certainly drum up more business, which he would need as a new father.

Will worked doggedly for hours. He churned out sketches of all the sculptures he was to begin and ordered materials. Then, he started on the Tiffany glass. And there was certainly a LOT of it! The work was boring; all he had to do was take the newly cleaned and retouched glass and solder the joints back together. He would have to use a small torch on the copper joints rather than just a soldering iron, but would need to be extra careful to keep the temperature down so as not to damage the glass.

Work this meticulous deserved fitting music. Will turned on Steve Reich's Music for 18 Musicians. The work was for 18-22 musicians, actually, mostly piano and mallet percussion, with an octet of winds, strings and wordless vocals. The piece was over an hour long and used just 11 chords. Will began his work and cranked the music, letting each section wash over him. He loved this piece; something about it hypnotized him and allowed him to forget everything…the worry, the work load, the hang over he still kind of had…he was able to simply work efficiently and systematically and somewhat obsessively.

Section VI rolled around, where the maracas start…Will's favorite section. He really got into the groove then, almost in a trance.

It was also then that he suddenly heard a voice over the music.

"So, I find the fact that you wear a metal mask to protect you from something thats purpose is to melt metal somewhat counter-intuitive."

Will jumped, almost flinging the priceless Tiffany glass to the ground. There stood Jack Sparrow in all his glory.

"Damn it Jack! And, to respond, it's not like an oven that heats the whole surrounding area, it's like a torch, which I'm pretty sure is why they call it a 'welding torch'…" He trailed off.

"I'm just going to say "yes" because really, you sound that absurd. Anyway, I am here to apologize…"

"Apologize? You're Jack Sparrow!"

"I know, but had I known dear Lizzie was in a delicate way, I wouldn't have let you get completely sloshed and I certainly would not have introduced you to carbombs. To make it up to you, I will take you out for waffles or something equally disgusting to nurse that hangover you clearly have."

"Clearly?" Will was suddenly self-conscious. After all, he had to look somewhat presentable for dinner tonight…Shit! Dinner! he thought to himself. He looked out the window…no sunlight, but it was fall, so he could still have time…

"Well, your eyes are all glassy and sunken in…."

"Jack!" Will interrupted. "What time is it!?!"

"Um, it's about 5 minutes to 7…"

5 minutes?! He had 5 minutes to get from Hackney, clear across Central London back to Brixton. Less than that, actually, since he should have been there hours ago helping poor Elizabeth get ready. Damn it! he thought. This is not going to end well.

"Uh, I'll see you later, Jack!" Will grabbed his jacket and ran quickly past Jack out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Was it something I said?"

Will looked at his phone, which he had turned off. Brilliant choice, mate, he thought to himself. Clearly Elizabeth would be wondering where the heck he was, and would be more than a little angry with him for being late. Thinking better of incurring her wrath outright, he dialed his father's number.

Bill answered on the first ring. "Will, where are you? Elizabeth is absolutely worried sick about you!"

"Work kept me a little late tonight…"

"Will, you set your own hours. This isn't like you."

"I know, but…"

"In any case, will you be here soon? I'm going to let your wife know that you're safe. And Will?"

"Yeah, Dad?"

"Hurry up. We can talk about whatever it is that's worrying you later."

Damn it, he thought. This was not looking like it would turn out to be a fun night, but it would be a fitting conclusion to the day he had, that was for sure. He checked his wallet. Cash, glorious cash! He could take a taxi home. That would at least save him some time and hopefully humiliation.

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Will more or less jumped out of the cab as it turned onto his street. He looked at his watch; he was 10 minutes late already. Glancing at the flower shop across the street, he thought, what's another 10? and ran to grab some flowers. Moments later, he was satisfied with his purchases and steps away from his flat. He snuck in the door, as though he thought he could just ease into the party. No such luck, of course, as his absence had caused quite a stir, he could tell.

The look on Elizabeth's face as he entered the dining room told Will everything he needed to know about where he stood with her on that particular night. She had this abominable talent for looks of death, and Will was getting a doozy of one, mixed with relief, mixed with leftover tears in the corners of her eyes. God, I am the KING of idiots, Will thought. Weatherby was, of course, glaring at him, however both Mary and Bill were looking in a general elsewhere direction so as not to get caught up in anything…Thank heaven for small favors, Will thought.

Will swallowed what little pride he had remaining and approached his wife. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and handed her the flowers.

"Will, where have you been? You didn't call, you didn't answer your mobile…I was so worried!" Elizabeth also had an amazing talent with guilt trips.

"I'm so sorry, love. Here, these are for you. Not that it makes up for my absolutely stupid actions this evening." Will let out his breath, as did Bill. Weatherby let his gaze drop. Finally! He had done something right!

"Just never do that again, ok?" Elizabeth pleaded, like his absence had sent her world into the crushing oblivion. And, Will reckoned to himself, it probably had. At this point, she was allowed her outrageous hormonally influenced bouts of unnecessary crying for the next 8 months.

"I won't, I promise." Will said sincerely. Idiot, idiot, idiot….

"So," Mary cleared her throat. "How about we start dinner, shall we?"

Elizabeth had come home from work and immediately started preparations on their dinner. She was nesting, she knew, and she wore it as badge of honor. She loved her husband, and her family and her baby! She had spent cutting up fresh vegetables and potatoes to roast, marinating chicken in balsamic vinegar and garnishing with fresh rosemary…in short, she had gone all out. And everything looked absolutely delicious in front of them on the table. It didn't take long for the hungry family to dig right in and begin their meal.

Everyone spent dinner chatting nicely about their days and the weather and how delicious the food was. Will was pleasantly surprised that he had managed to climb out of the hot water he was in as quickly as he did. Elizabeth was pleasantly surprised that he father had stopped glaring at Will, despite that she knew had good reason to. Will reached for the last roll, asking for it politely of course, and smiled at Elizabeth with the private smile he saved just for her. Elizabeth loved that smile. What would I do without him? she thought. I'd just be…alone. With a baby. What if something happens to him?! It almost did tonight, he almost didn't come home, and!...

"Lizzie, darling, could you please pass the butter?" Will asked.

Elizabeth turned to look at him, her eyes wide. Her lip began to quiver.

"Lizzie? Are you?..."

And then the dam broke. Sobs racked Elizabeth's body and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"Lizzie, I'm not sure I understand….what's wrong dear?" Will dropped to the floor beside her chair and took her head in his hands. "Lizzie? What can I do to fix it?"

She said nothing, just sobbed. She pulled Will to her.

At this point, Elizabeth's parents had joined the floor beside Will.

"Lizzie dear, we can't make it better until we know what's made you so upset. Was it something Will did?" Mary asked protectively.

Will and Bill both glared sharply at Mary Thankfully, she was so engrossed in Elizabeth that she missed it.

Elizabeth tried to steady herself. "I…I just…what if I lost you, Will?!"

"Lost me? You're not going to lose me!"

"You don't know that!" She started to sob again.

"Oh, come here." He wrapped his arms around her and she buried her head in his chest. "I love you. I'm not leaving, I promise!"

Weatherby and Mary backed away slowly as their daughter began to calm down. They sat back down, eyeing the two quizzically.

"Now, we have some big news for our parents. How about you tell them?" Will coaxed.

Elizabeth smiled with her wet, red cheeks. "Mom? Dad?...Bill?"

"Well, out with it, Lizzie! We've been dying to know!" Weatherby said excitedly.

Will smiled at Elizabeth encouragingly. She took a deep breath. "Will and I…"

"Yes?..." Mary's eyes grew large.

"We're expecting a baby!"

Elizabeth's parents jumped up to hug her almost immediately. Bill smiled softly and hugged his son.

"Congratulations!" Mary shrieked. "Oh my goodness! A grandchild!"

"Wonderful news, Elizabeth!" Weatherby said, blatantly ignoring Will's involvement in this latest installment of happy news. "We are so proud of you!"

"Indeed. Congratulations to you both," Bill said, emphasizing the last word and winking at Will.

"Well, that explains the crying!" said Mary. "I was worried you and Will had been having a serious falling out."

No, you'd be excited about that, too, Will thought to himself.

"Yes, I was going to ask you," Elizabeth said. "How long does the morning sickness last?"

"Darling, hasn't Will taken you to a doctor?" Weatherby asked, trying to deflect this latest topic of conversation.

"Of course he has, father. But we only just found out yesterday, before we called you."

"Well," Mary interjected, "with you, it lasted for most of the first trimester. And then there was the gas…"

Will and Bill looked at each other with matching father and son looks of comical disgust.

"Mother! Are you quite sure this is appr-"

"And then, just wait, the doctor appointments. Quite invasive they are now. I hear they do some of them with a scope which they insert into the-"

"Well!" Will said, getting up, "It looks like it's time for desert, I'll go…"

But she kept going, despite the horrified look on Elizabeth's fact. "Lizzie, Will, if you can't handle that, I worry about how you'll handle the birth! You know, when the baby begins to crown, things have a tendency to…tear…"

All 3 listeners visibly winced at that. "Right, so about desert…" Will said, halfway to the kitchen. Bill had turned a visible shade of green and got up to join Will in the kitchen. Weatherby was absentmindedly playing with his watch.

"Mother! You will stop right now!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Darling, I'm just trying to prepare you!"

"I'll let the doctor prepare me, thank you very much. So, father, how has work been going recently?..."

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"So," Bill approached his son. "What worries you the most?"

"How did you…I'm not worried!"

Bill chuckled. "You see, there are two disadvantages you have. One is that I know you better than everyone, except for perhaps your wife. The other is that we have a mutual friend who cannot keep his mouth shut. Now, going out and getting plastered while your wife is at home throwing up is not behavior I've come to expect from you. And despite your work ethic, neither is working through dinner when you could be home helping Elizabeth."

"I hate you."

"No you don't. So, what is it?"

Will sighed. "It's everything. I mean, I'm excited and you know I love Elizabeth and I would do anything for her and our child, but I'm….useless. I'm in a dying profession, I have no education or connections…"

Bill smiled. "Exactly how I felt when your mother carried you. I'll tell you a little secret."

"What?" Will sighed.

"Your wife has faith in you. I have faith in you. You should have faith in you!"

Will rolled his eyes.

"Everything has a way of working itself out, son. You know that as well as I do."

"I guess. I'm just…"

"Just…you'l have to step up. You can't go on letting your worry affect Elizabeth. She needs to be healthy and…"

"99 of all health issues are related to stress, I know."

"I'd like to think all those things we did helped keep your mum alive a little longer," Bill said. Will smiled. He remembered singing songs and laughing and the little trips into Central London and everything they did for her after they found out she had no hope. Some of his best memories, actually.

Will sighed and grabbed the bowl of strawberries Elizabeth had cut. "I suppose you're right."

Bill patted Will's shoulder. "That's it, my boy".

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The rest of dinner went surprisingly smoothly. Weatherby and Mary took their leave, and Bill shortly after. Will began to clear dishes, having shooed Elizabeth from the room. She stood in the doorway, watching him again. One of her favorite things.

"Will, I'm…I'm sorry."

He turned to her. "What?! What do you have to be sorry about?"

"I just…I overreacted. I don't know what happened, I just…"

Sensing that she was growing upset again, he put down the dishes in his hands and went to her, wrapping his arms tightly around her shoulders. "Shhhh. You have nothing to be sorry for, except that you married William Turner, King of Idiots."

Elizabeth laughed. "King? I suppose that makes me the Queen."

Will laughed. "I'll never do that again, Lizzie. It was so stupid of me. I just…I don't know what's gotten into me."

"Certainly makes two of us." Elizabeth said. "Should we let bygones be bygones and the dishes sit in the sink until tomorrow?"

Will kissed her hair. "I think that can be arranged. How about a movie? It's your turn to pick. Name your terms."

This was a silly game they played, but one she loved because it was so absurd and it was only theirs. They named characteristics the movie had to have, and dug one out from their collection based on it. Silly, yes, but also quite hilarious.

"Um," she thought, "well…Stellen Skarsgard…you know, that Swedish actor that looks like your dad? He's got to be in it and…you need to share a name with the main character."

"Hmmm. That's a tall order." Will fumbled around their DVD collection. "It looks like we're watching Good Will Hunting tonight, as that's quite the only thing we have that meets your rather complicated specifications. Possibly the only thing that meets them…"

Elizabeth stretched and collapsed lazily onto the futon. "Mmm, I like that movie."

Will put the DVD in the deck and joined her. "I like you," he said putting his arms around her and burying his face in her hair, taking in the scent that was just, simply, Elizabeth. She turned and kissed him, then snuggled up to his chest. This was the best kind of night as far as she was concerned, one she deserved. One they both, quite frankly deserved.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own the Disney characters. Although, for the number of damn times I've been to WDW and the number of those movies I've seen and purchased (not to mention the merchandise), I feel that I should be entitled to stock or something. Oh well. Still wouldn't own these characters.

Thank you's go, as always, to UNACYMBAL and SLOBBERNECK. Also, even though they will never read this, a thanks to my friend G and her husband E (and their little squirt who's due in September) for feeding me the information I needed for this chapter.

Also, thank you ALL for the reviews and whatnot. I love to hear how I'm doing, and requests will be taken into consideration. Keep the reviews coming! Thannnnkkksss!

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Chapter 6

Elizabeth awoke on the futon yet again, only this time, she was sprawled across her husband's chest, her legs tangled up with his, snuggled under their big fluffy duvet. Will snored softly and she giggled to herself. How cute is he, she thought. Elizabeth quietly and deftly maneuvered herself off of Will and to her feet, careful not to disturb him. He had had quite the past few days and deserved some rest. Will rolled over and clutched the duvet in place of Elizabeth, sighing in his sleep. They had turned their movie night into a movie marathon lasting the rest of the week. Being on the futon in the mornings made it easier for Will to care for Elizabeth and made it so she could at least tune in to morning talk shows while she whiled away, feeling miserable.

But this morning, for the first time in days, Elizabeth felt ok. Not great, but ok. And she wasn't nauseous! Yet, she thought. Her mother warned her the morning sickness would come and go throughout the pregnancy, but especially in the first 3 months. And that it certainly wasn't confined to the morning.

Elizabeth seized this opportunity to have a normal morning. She ran a deliciously hot shower and reveled at the opportunity to bathe standing up for the first time in a few days. She took a chance and pulled out a honey and jasmine shower gel and to her great relief, the scent did not make her sick. This would be a good day. She, in her private little universe, was already beginning to notice changes happening to her body. Her belly felt softer and looked more full and her chest was definitely beginning to expand. She smiled to herself, excited for everything that was to come.

Elizabeth felt something like a Disney princess that morning, with a smile on her face and a song in her heart. She was positively glowing. She dressed herself in a favorite outfit and damn, she thought, did she look good. In fact, today she would put on make up for the first time since…well, it had been for their anniversary dinner hadn't it? She looked at her makeup case, which proclaimed 'B Never Too Busy To be Beautiful'. She always smiled at that brand name. No, I won't, she thought. I won't be too pregnant and mopey to be beautiful either.

More or less floating to the kitchen, she put on the coffee and put toast in the toaster. And she cut up some apples. And decided Will needed to have lunch packed for work today.

Just then, her drowsy, topless husband sauntered into the kitchen. "'Lizabeth?" he grunted. "What are you doing?"

Elizabeth floated over to Will and kissed his cheek and planted her hand possessively on his bare belly. "Good morning to you too! I'm making you lunch, dear."

"Lunch? It's only 8 AM."

"To take to the studio, silly!" She began to pour the coffee and butter the toast.

Will put his hand on Elizabeth's forehead. "Darling, are you quite all right?"

"See, that's the funny thing. I am!"

Will smiled and kissed the top of her head. The power of positive thinking, he thought. After all, her first (their first?) doctor visit was this afternoon. She looked radiant today. Absolutely stunning. He hadn't seen her wear makeup in ages. Not that she needed it, of course…

Elizabeth put the food and the newspaper down on the table and motioned for Will to sit down.

"So, the doctor's appointment is at 2?" Will asked.

"Yes, and it's at the same office we went to before."

"Got it." Will said, setting the alarm on his watch and reaching for his mobile to do the same.

Elizabeth smiled and went back to reading the section of the paper she grabbed. Yes, Will seemed to have a penchant lately for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but who didn't from time to time? Elizabeth had always appreciated how earnestly he worked to correct and avoid repeating past indiscretions. She loved that he was so honestly caring and concerned about her, about his work, about his family…she imagined that in some past life he had been perhaps a noble hero blacksmith or some such character and she perhaps had been the princess he rescued and thus won. Oh, what a ridiculous imagination I have, she thought to herself. But, she thought, it would be kind of hot to see her husband in some boots, swinging a sword around.

Words seemed a little superfluous during moments like this, more of a formality than anything. Elizabeth knew for a fact that she and her husband were of one mind and relished that fact. She glanced quickly at the clock on the microwave. Time to go, she thought. She set down the paper and took one more sip of her coffee.

She walked over Will and put her hands on his shoulders, giving them a quick rub. "So, I'll see you a little before 2 then?"

Will looked up at her. "Yes, I promise."

Elizabeth floated to the door, grabbed her coat and then floated out the door to the Underground that would take her to work. She boarded that train and smiled when the voice-over on gave its little speech about giving up your seat for elderly people and expectant mothers. She was now in that elite group, the one she had been secretly vying for entrance to since…well, since a long time ago, probably when she realized Will was "the one". She knew that she was a strong, capable woman and that strong capable women were supposed to want fast-paced careers that would catapult them through the glass ceiling, but Elizabeth quite frankly grew bored quickly with even temporary confinement to the 3 walls of a cubicle within the 4 walls of an office. Elizabeth was headstrong in a different way. Motherhood was an adventure that suited her; she could feel it.

At work that day, Elizabeth felt confident and under control. As someone working not-for-profit, she didn't simply spend her time writing and crunching numbers in a cubicle. No, she had the distinct pleasure of partaking in the organization's many events and benefits, as well as the distinct pleasure of helping the development director plan and clean up after them. Often, this involved crazy and outlandish little "adventures" around the city. Two weeks ago, she had to maneuver 3 music stands that were used by readers as podiums across a busy intersection into the bowels of an old, dimly lit theater to the building's subterranean offices, all by herself. The week before that, it had been running all over the city in order to find a maddeningly specific shade of poster board with which they would advertise for a silent auction at a benefit. Today's theatrics were a little less silly because she had the opportunity to actually participate in an event with the children the organization helped. The children would be reading with the help of therapy dogs. Essentially, the idea was that the kids would feel more confident and doubt themselves less in the presence of a golden retriever than in the presence of their parents or teachers, despite the latter's best intentions. Elizabeth's job was to subtly monitor the kids' progress, then hand out stickers to the kids and literature about the organization to everyone else.

As the event wound down and the children left for lunch, Elizabeth spoke to each of them individually, asking them what they thought of the dogs and the books, what stories they liked best and letting them pick their very own scratch and sniff sticker to put in their notebooks. Being around these kids was both exciting and completely natural.

One of the children ran up to her parents. "Mummy! Smell my book!"

"Mmmm," the child's mother said. "Smells….purpley…"

"She gave me scratchy sniff stickers! Look! They're by all the pages I did good!"

The child's mother smiled warmly at Elizabeth before shuffling her daughter off to lunch.

A coworker of Elizabeth's joined her at her sticker distribution post.

"Scratch and sniff stickers? How'd you talk to boss into putting those in the budget?"

"Oh well," Elizabeth blushed a little bit, "I just went out and got them myself. I thought these kids could use a treat."

"Going above and beyond. I see. You know, I love children, but I just don't have the touch you have with them." Elizabeth smiled at this. "You want to grab a bite to eat?"

"Actually, I've got to go pretty soon. Doctor's appointment. But thanks for the offer." Elizabeth glanced at the clock hanging in the corner of the room. 12:30, and plenty of time to grab a bite to eat and meet Will.

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Will looked at his watch as he opened the door to the doctor's office. It was 12:30. He was, by no means, late to this milestone. He walked in and sat down, making himself as comfortable as he could in the perpetually uncomfortable breed of chair used in doctor's offices. Well, he thought glancing around. This is…going to be incredibly boring. Frowning, he grabbed the first magazine he saw: Parents Magazine. Parents, he thought proudly. Well, I'm going to be a parent. May as well read up!

Flipping through the magazines, Will saw ads for everything from strollers to car seats to baby food. The usual, he thought. He found his first article, which coincidentally was about a stroller recall. Ah, he thought. Going to have to keep some of these magazines around so we know what's safe. He skimmed through it and turned the page. Another article, this one about the risk of lyme disease in any child that ventured outdoors, it seemed. Alarming, he thought. There are certainly a lot of things that can go wrong. As he continued with the magazine, he noticed a running theme with the articles…a lot of things could go wrong. You mean to tell me, he thought to himself, that in addition to being poor and uneducated, I'm also completely clueless as to the dangers involved in the life of a child? He sighed. Finally, Will flipped to a poll for dads, asking them what they missed most from their "pre-dad" days. The choices were free time (don't have much of that anyway, Will thought), a lack of responsibility (who with a wife and a job has any lack of this?), hanging out with friends (ok, he would miss this) and sex. Sex?! We don't get to have sex?! he thought. This is just great, he thought, and more or less slammed the magazine down on the side table, as though doing so would somehow punish it for fear mongering.

From the loud thump! of the magazine on the table came the shriek of a newborn. A woman sitting across the room from him glared coldly at him as she took her infant from its carrier and attempted futiley to comfort it back to sleep. As if on cue, a couple other women in the waiting room (where were all the other men?! he thought) turned around to see who had caused the commotion.

"Erm, uh…sorry!" he offered, turning red.

The other women turned back around and Will slumped in his chair. Another mother had entered with a pair of children; one a screaming toddler, maybe 4 years old, the other a tiny baby. The mother attempted to grab the toddler as he ran off. The baby squealed, joining the chorus of squealing now emanating throughout the waiting room.

Eyes wide, Will watched the two mothers try to calm their children. Neither one seemed to be having much luck and the toddler was still running willy-nilly around the room. When he came to the spot where Will sat he stopped, looked at Will defiantly and punched him as hard as he could.

"Gahhhh!"

"Oh my god," said the embarrassed mother. "I'm so sorry. Daniel, you get over here RIGHT. NOW," she bellowed at her child. "Are you all right?"

Will nodded wordlessly; he was fine, mostly taken by surprise. He had never been around toddlers long enough to realize that they could be complete holy terrors when they wanted to be. The more he observed, the longer the next 18 years of his life began to feel. He got up and began to pace, before settling down in the farthest corner of the waiting room. He sighed and looked at this watch. It was 12:47.

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When Elizabeth entered the waiting room (at 1:52), she was happy to see her husband sitting there, but wondered why he looked completely shell-shocked. She glanced around the waiting room to try to find the source of his expression. All she saw was a young boy, about 4, playing nicely with blocks, some women reading, a mother with her infant chatting with the receptionist and a woman who looked to be about 6 months pregnant sitting with her partner. She looked down at Will quizzically.

"Are you ok, Will?"

"Elizabeth! Thank god you're here!" Will got up and hugged her, hard.

"What's going on? You look like you've just been punched."

"Er, um, nothing. I'm…I'm all right!"

She narrowed her eyes. "If you say so." She started to sit down, but heard the receptionist call her name. "Oh! We're ready! Will, they told me this was the best OB-GYN in London. Such excellent referrals!" She jumped up and sort of clapped her hands together, finally eliciting a smile from Will. He put his hand on the small of her back as they walked back to the exam room.

In the room, Will sat down on another highly uncomfortable chair and the receptionist motioned for Elizabeth to sit up on the exam table. Will looked her and smiled, noticing something quite strange about this table. What are those arm things with foot rests jutting out of the end of the table? he thought to himself. Is this a doctor's office or a medieval torture chamber?

"The doctor will be right with you. You'll need to put this on," the receptionist said coolly, shoving a scratchy gown into Elizabeth's arms and walking out of the room.

"Do you need me to…leave?" Will asked shyly.

"Don't be an idiot." Elizabeth retorted. "I am going to need your help tying this thing up, though."

Will did as he was told, although tying the gown didn't do very much to help; there were still gaping holes between the sparse ties where he could see his wife's bare backside.

Elizabeth pulled the gown around so she would be sitting on it, not the exam table. She shimmied up to a sitting position. No sooner was she seated than did the doctor walk in.

And the doctor was drop dead gorgeous. In the same vein as McDreamy and McSteamy, in fact. He appeared to be roughly their age and had blond hair and sky blue eyes in addition to being tall and muscular. He smiled coyly at the couple. Elizabeth's jaw dropped just a little and Will raised an eyebrow.

"Hello Mrs. Turner. Mr. Turner. I'm Dr. Aaron Steele."

So he's American, Will thought. The jerk.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Steele Elizabeth said enthusiastically. "We gotten such good referrals."

"Thank you! So, we'll begin by collecting an extensive health history, in addition to the one we have on file. I'm sure a lot of these questions will sound somewhat invasive…"

Anything you say to my wife will be invasive, Will thought jealously.

"First of all," Dr. Steele began, "I'll need to know your ages and occupations."

"Well, I'm 25," Elizabeth began, "and I'm a development assistant for the Reading is Fundamental program within the National Literacy Trust."

"And I'm also 25 and I'm a free-lance artist." Will finished.

"Elizabeth," Dr. Steele asked, "I'm going to need to know any surgeries or hospitalizations you've had."

"None." Elizabeth responded. "Fit as a fiddle." This made Will smile.

"I'll also need to know if you use any prescription drugs or have any drug allergies."

"Um, not that I know of. And no, I don't take any prescriptions."

Will watched their exchange as if it were a ping-pong match.

"What about chronic heath issues or mental health issues? Either of you?"

"Neither," said Elizabeth.

"None," said Will.

"And family health issues? Chronic issues, cancer?"

"None," said Elizabeth.

Will took a deep breath. "My mum died of breast cancer when I was 12," he said. Dr. Steele scribbled something on Elizabeth's file. Why is he asking us all this? Will thought.

"Have either of you used tobacco products or illicit drugs in the past, at any point?"

"No! Don't be silly. Of course we haven't," Will said.

"William, I'm going to need for your wife to answer that on her own." Dr.Steele said, only a little patronizingly in Will's opinion. William? Will thought. Call me Mr. Turner.

Elizabeth smiled and rubbed Will's hand. "Will's right. I've never done drugs. And I smoked a few times in Uni, but…"

Dr. Steele scribbled something and without saying another word asked "Elizabeth, do you have any siblings? Did your mom have problems during any births?"

"No and no," Elizabeth responded proudly, smiling at Will. "We're a quite healthy family."

"And how would you rate your stress level, from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest?"

Elizabeth furrowed her brow momentarily. "Um, a 7? 6?" she said, asking almost.

'And the source of your stress? Marital? Your job?"

Will fumed.

"Mainly, my career," Elizabeth said. "I'm just not sure-"

"And how often do you exercise?"

Elizabeth giggled. Will smiled. "Dr. Steele, I'm incredibly lazy. I hardly ever bring myself to work out."

Dr. Steele smiled. "Well, I don't see any reason to order an amniocentesis. I would like to do a transvaginal scan today in addition to your physical exam to make sure there aren't any early complications."

Elizabeth nodded, as if she had been expecting this.

A trans-WHAT?! Will thought. Nothing is going up my wife's….

"Shall we start your physical?" Dr. Steele asked. Will was comforted somewhat by this. A physical he could handle. Height and weight and blood pressure were easy enough to deal with. This gave him a few seconds of mercy before the scan.

Before Will could collect his thought, however, Elizabeth's legs were in the medieval torture devices and Elizabeth was laying back, with her bare legs apart and Dr. Steele between them. For a second, Will was seriously worried he'd pass out. He stood protectively behind Dr. Steele as he swabbed and prodded around.

"Are you sure this is quite-" Will began.

"Elizabeth, William, I'm performing a pelvic exam. This allows me to examine Elizabeth's cervix and uterus size, so that I can determine the date of conception as well as the due date. I'm also going to take extra swabs for a pap smear that checks for abnormal cells and an STD test-"

"STD wotsit?!" Will snapped.

"Shhh, Will," Elizabeth soothed. "Dr. Steele, I've never been with anyone but Will nor has he been with anyone but me."

Will nodded.

Dr. Steele continued. "This is just standard operating procedure. Also, forms of HPV are possible, even with only one sexual partner."

Quickly and deftly, like he had looked at thousands of cervixes, Dr. Steele finished his exam, complete with Will hovering over his shoulder the entire time. "Well, I'd imagine your date of conception to be roughly August 27-September 2. Any of those dates hold special significance to you two?" Dr. Steele laughed. Of course it held significance, Will thought.

"Will!" Elizabeth beamed. "September 1st was our anniversary! It must have been then!"

Will went to her and kissed her genuinely and possessively. "I love you, Lizzie" was all he could say.

"Now," continued the doctor, "I'd like to do breast and thyroid exams. Then we'll do the scan and you'll be all set!" Dr. Steele positioned his hands over Elizabeth's chest, letting her pull the material to the side, respectfully. "William," Dr. Steele said softly, "All I'm doing is ensuring that Elizabeth's mammary glands are developing properly and that there is not abnormal tissue growth."

Nevertheless, the color in Will's face was gone. His eyes were wide. Dr. Steele rubbed and prodded. Quit. Feeling. Up. My. Wife. Will thought angrily. Elizabeth looked at Will hopefully, as if this was something totally normal that meant nothing. Of course it means nothing, Will thought. If only I weren't watching my wife have her chest rubbed on by some stranger.

The thyroid exam was somewhat less of a problem, and was unfortunately brief. Will knew what came next. So did Elizabeth, of course having been through a pelvic, she was a little less terrified than her husband was and more than a little excited to see her baby.

"So," we'll finish up with the scan," Dr. Steele said professionally. He walked over to the cart with the monitor and took out a thin scope. He covered it in what appeared to be a male contraceptive and applied a lubricant. Good god, isn't that thing COLD?! thought Will.

Elizabeth looked somehow both worried and excited and motioned for Will to come closer, to embrace her, to hold her hand. He absolutely obliged, squeezing her hand 3 times, their nonverbal code for 'I love you.' Dr. Steele turned on the monitor.

"Ok, Elizabeth, I'm going to need to you relax."

Elizabeth looked at Will, who nodded as gently and assuring as he could despite his own nerves. Elizabeth exhaled and closed her eyes, her hand squeezing Will's.

Will watched protectively and intently as Dr. Steele inserted the scope. Soon, he could hear something.

"What is that?" Will asked nervously. Elizabeth opened her eyes and looked at Will, then Dr. Steele.

"That," said Dr. Steele, smiling, "is your son or daughter's heartbeat. A Doppler reading of 138 beats per minute, Mr. and Mrs. Turner. Perfectly normal. And that," Dr. Steele pointed at the monitor, "is your son or daughter."

The baby looked like a bean-shaped blob, but that didn't stop tears from welling up in both Will and Elizabeth's eyes.

After a few minutes, Dr. Steele removed the scope continued, oblivious to the fact that Will and Elizabeth were halfway lost in their own universe. "Both you and the baby are perfectly healthy, Elizabeth" The exact words Will had waited to hear all week. "I'm going to estimate your baby's due date will be June 5. We'll want to meet every 4 weeks until your 28th week, then every 2 weeks after that. We'll do another ultrasound at 18 weeks." He looked at Will. "This one will be external."

"Yes, of course," Will said, not breaking eye contact with his wife.

Elizabeth beamed. The building could collapse around them and that wouldn't break the moment she was sharing with her husband right now. She and her baby were healthy, she was here with Will and there was nothing better.


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: These are not my characters; I'm just pulling the strings.

This serves as your final notice that this fic is rated M for a reason. Pirates, ye be warned!

I pretty much owe my soul to the following people: Slobberneck, the married shameless hussy and Unacymbal, the other married shameless hussy. The following chapter, which is wrought with the fluff and smut you requested, is for you two. And to Williz, for good conversation and also for listening to me whine and then complimenting me immediately thereafter.

And to all of my reviewers, thanks for the time and interest and all of the nice things you have said! If there's anything I can do to make your Baby Project experience more pleasant, please let me know. Like I said, I've never done this before. Keep 'em coming!

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Chapter 7

Elizabeth sat propped up on the arm of the futon with her shirt hiked over her steadily growing belly. She frowned and wiped the oil off of her hands, setting the massage bar Ana had given to her as an early Christmas present down on the coffee table. This had become something of a routine over the past week or so. Will laid on the futon below her, hands folded on his stomach, eyes closed, breathing slowly.

"I really am not convinced that this thing does anything for stretch marks." Elizabeth sighed.

"It makes them smell nice," Will offered, opening his eyes and sitting up, gently kissing her belly.

It absolutely amazed him how quickly she was changing. It had been two months since their first doctor's visit and they had braved the treacherous first trimester together. The nausea had all but tapered off at this point, as had her irrational outbursts. One day, perhaps three weeks ago, they had been in a store buying groceries. When Elizabeth noticed that they were out of pineapple juice, her world fell apart around her and she was reduced to sobs. Embarrassed, Will had mentioned that he wasn't even aware she liked pineapple juice that much as he had never seen her consume it, let alone purchase it. That earned him a hard thwack with her purse, and she had stormed off and locked herself in the ladies room. Will had to call Ana to coax her out. This behavior perplexed Will somewhat, but he took it in stride. He knew this wasn't his wife, rather it was her hormones, and that the eventual outcome, a healthy Elizabeth and a healthy baby, were worth all of this.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, could only recall feeling like her body had been hijacked for three months but that lately, it had been pleasantly handed back to her. Finally, she could enjoy smells and eat food and keep everything down. No longer did commercials for things like hand soap and tins of cat food reduce her to tears. She had also stopped spontaneously biting people's heads off. She loved Will more now for being so patient with her. Never once did he let her histrionics drive him over the edge. She admired the way he could grin and bear it; even support her through it. And she was awful to him or a few select moments.

She was also enamored of this little life growing inside of her. She secretly waited for the day when she had to switch to jeans with an elastic band and had a tiny private celebration when it came. Because of her slight stature, she began to show sooner and more prominently than most women, but she was loving every second of it. At seventeen weeks, she had a bona-fide baby belly. And she was glowing constantly, enjoying what she knew was a peaceful island of time between her first and third trimester.

It was Christmas Eve. They had spent the evening first with Will's father, then decorating their Christmas tree; music softly paying and Will serenading Elizabeth with his best Nat King Cole. She giggled comfortably at that; despite his great talent for visual art, musical talent had not been bestowed upon him.

Elizabeth loved decorating the tree the most. Pulling out all of the ornaments they had amassed was like an archeological dig that made her smile every year. Here was one Bill had given them to commemorate their first Christmas together last year. Here was another she had made while serving time at a boarding school as a girl. Here was something little Will had made with popsicle sticks, lots of glue and a fine sense of surrealist art. They finished the job with tinsel, Lou Rawls crooning "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" in the background. Will had playfully grabbed Elizabeth and then they were slow dancing, there in the living room, their future child sandwiched snugly between them.

But it was getting late and now that she had finished her latest attempt at scouring what few stretch marks she had developed away, Elizabeth was ready to turn in for the night. A light freezing rain was falling outside, pitter pattering lightly on the windowsills, forming patterns on the windows that obscured the city lights like a kaleidoscope. As she got up from the futon to walk into the bedroom, Will said, "I think they're beautiful."

"What's that?" Elizabeth asked.

"The…uh, the stretching. It's beautiful. You're beautiful."

Elizabeth went to him and he took her in his arms. "Merry Christmas," he whispered into her ear, kissing her cheek. She smiled up at him, her eyes fluttering open.

"Merry Christmas to you too."

She returned his kiss and pulled away. "I'm going to go get ready for bed. Would you mind terribly putting the boxes the ornaments were in back up in the hall closet?"

"Of course not. I'll go do that right now and I'll be there in a few minutes, love."

Elizabeth smiled softly and went into their room and sat down on the bed. Suddenly, she felt something new coming from her belly. Her mind raced through a thousand possibilities in a nanosecond, desperate to confirm with herself that nothing was wrong. Then, she came to the appropriate conclusion.

"WILLIAM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Will was first startled by his wife's scream, then became very worried, very quickly. The boxes he was carrying fell to the ground with a forceful crash, ending the lives of any ornaments left trapped inside. He dashed from one end of the apartment to the other without another thought.

When he arrived at the bedroom door, he was out of breath and his heart was beating quickly from a combination of his little workout and the adrenaline spike he had just experienced. "What's wrong?!?!"

Elizabeth had both hands hugged around her belly and was staring intently at it. Will searched her for information, any information.

She looked up and smiled.

You're smiling? Will thought. You screamed blue murder and now you're…smiling?

"Will, come here." He approached her, eyes wide.

"Give me your hand," she commanded. Tentatively, as though it would lead to some terrible revelation, Will extended his hand.

She took her hand is and put it on her belly. He felt a little flutter, then a little bump from inside Elizabeth.

"Is that…?" he stammered.

Elizabeth nodded, the way her eyes shined catching him off guard.

"God, that's amazing." Will said. "This is incredible, Lizzie!" So is the way you look right now, he wanted to add.

She just laughed, tears gathering at the corners of her eyes. Her hair tumbled loosely around her shoulders as she smiled ear to ear.

Will couldn't help himself any longer. He leaned over her and kissed her, hard. His hands were in her hair and his tongue was in her mouth. She was somewhat taken by surprise by his advances, but returned them happily. When was the last time they had kissed properly? With all of the issues she'd encountered in the past 3 months, the both relished these fleeting moments when she wasn't too tired, too sick or too angry.

The rain still fell softly outside of their window providing a soft, aleatoric soundtrack to their joy.

He was both surprised and overjoyed that she returned his kiss with equal passion and vigor. Taking a little bit of initiative, he wove his other arm around her and gently maneuvered her so that she was laying on the bed with him hovering above. She smiled at him with a private smile that had one purpose and only one purpose and nodded.

He grinned, still overjoyed and overwhelmed by the night's happenings so far. He lowered his head and peppered her face with kisses; her cheekbones and her nose and her eyes and forehead, smiling into her skin. He kissed all the way along her jawline and she whimpered. He stopped at a place he'd come to know as one of her most sensitive: the skin between her ear and her jaw. He smiled devilishly before assaulting the area with attention; sucking, nibbling, kissing…she sighed loudly and threw her head back, weaving her fingers through his hair, pulling it loose from its haphazard ponytail.

He continued to lavish attention on her neck with his lips and tongue and teeth as she slid her hand under his sweater, softly running her nails over his skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake. He sighed into her neck and she turned her head so their mouths met again, running her tongue along his lower lip as he moaned softly into her mouth.

Taking Will by surprise, Elizabeth grabbed the sweater she had hiked up and dragged it over his head, discarding it in a heap at the side of the bed. She ran her hands down his chest, thumbs fluttering lightly over his nipples, eliciting a small moan from her husband.

She smiled. We've needed this, she thought to herself.

She worked her hands down to his hipbones, which jutted out perfectly over the waist of his jeans. He arched his back over her belly, almost like he was afraid he could hurt her or the baby. She hooked her thumbs under the material and teased him a little bit, smiling into the kiss. I may be pregnant and coming out of three months of hostility, she thought, but I can still tease you and watch you melt in my hands. She adeptly undid his pants and slid them (and his boxers) off and onto the floor, continuing to run her hands over his hips and backside.

And he certainly responded, instinctively, by thrusting his hips into hers. She pushed them over so that they lay side by side and gazed into his deep, dark eyes before pushing her lips back against his. He dragged his hand up her body, taking the fabric of her shirt with him. She propped herself up so that he could guide it over her head and throw it to the floor where it joined the growing pile of discarded clothing. Soon, he slid her sweatpants off of her as well, eager to feel her bare skin against his.

Much to his pleasure, she had not been wearing a bra. He pulled back and looked at her. She had to be the most beautiful thing he had ever seen; her alabaster skin glowing with the dim light, the joy of impending motherhood. She had never looked so…so sexy to him as she did right now, right at this very second. His mouth came down on her again. He would never be done kissing her. These had to be the softest lips in the world, he thought. Perfect. Absolutely perfect.

His put a hand on one of her breasts, the sensation somewhat unfamiliar to him. These were not the same breasts he had become accustomed to; these were swollen, full and heavy. He proceeded with caution: light brushes with his fingertips. He was afraid of hurting her, aware of how sensitive this area had been in the first trimester. To his surprise, she arched her back, pressing her chest into his waiting hand. She wanted more. He cupped his hand around her, brushing her nipple with his thumb and taking small pleasure in the way it hardened under his caress. She whimpered at his touch and it made him bolder; he took her nipple between his thumb and index finger and gently rolled and massaged it, dodging her kisses and attempts to retaliate. This was, as far as he was concerned, all about her right now. He gently rolled her over so that he kneeled above her. Now both of hands were on her breasts and her swollen belly and her legs and running up her thighs. His hands navigated her body like a seasoned expert that knew every last detail about every last inch and yet, never grew tired of revisiting this familiar territory over and over again. But did he know it by heart? This was his Elizabeth, but she was new to him this time, coming into bloom in a whole new way.

Her head had rolled back and her eyes were shut tight as he touched her all over. As he ran his hand up her thigh and came to rest at the junction between them, she gasped and her eyes fluttered open.

"Will! Will…." she stammered.

He smiled at her and his thumb came to rest there and caressed and teased her adeptly. She clutched the sheets and bucked her hips and then all of a sudden his mouth was there, kissing her, licking, sucking…and then one finger was inside of her, then two and soon, there she was, at the edge, her body begging him for release. She came with his name on her lips, her body shuddering beneath him.

Will collapsed next to her on the bed as she caught her breath. "Was that for real?" she asked, grinning.

He smiled. "You deserve it all. If that's the least I could do…"

"And you're sorely mistaken if you think the night is over, William," she said, climbing on top of him, straddling rocking her hips hard against his erection. He moaned and she continued to rock against him, pushing his hands over his head and pinning him to the bed. Now she was in control, kissing his neck, stopping to smother his adam's apple with her lips, then his collarbone. She slid back, allowing her hands room to work, and she released his hands and went to his erection. Still kissing his chest and neck, she took him in her hands, grasping it, running her hands along it, torturing him. She loved how intense he looked in these moments. She loved that he was lost in her, and she in him. She loved the way his muscles moved under her touch, the way he said her name, the color of his eyes. She loved how much he took care of her and how easily the balance of power could tip in moments like this.

"Elizabeth, please…I need you."

And that was that. Elizabeth removed her hands and then sheathed him in her. They both groaned and then she began to move back and forth slowly. Will met each of her movements, deepening their contact. Elizabeth slid her hands down his legs, stopping at his ankles… leaning back and creating a whole different sensation for both of them. Will slid his hands over her belly and to her breasts and she sighed deeply.

As she increased their speed, she leaned forward again pressing her mouth against his. It was hot and wet; almost sloppy and uncontrolled. She breathed his name into his mouth and he thrust his hips into her harder, then harder again.

"Will, I- I need…"

He knew exactly what she wanted. He put his arms around her and kissed her neck, soft, teasing butterfly kissed before gently placing her on her back on the bed. He entered her again, slowly and gently as he always did. Only this time, he more intended it to tease her, to keep them both dangling over the edge as long as he could. He bit his lip and controlled himself to the best of his ability. Elizabeth panted beneath him and clutched his hips.

"Will…harder!"

But Will shook his head and continued to tease her, grinning, eyes still shut tight. She could be demanding like this, which was a complete turn on. He wanted it to continue. He thrusted hard once and stopped and she moaned.

"More…please…"

He could continue this way a little longer, but the look on her face caused him to lose what little composure he had saved up. Her facial expressions were always the coffin nail for him. She looked beautiful when they made love, every time, no matter what, he thought.

He finally gave into her demands, pushing faster and harder until everything was a blur around them. She moaned and yelled out and it pushed him closer to the edge. She dug her fingernails into his back and pulled them along his skin and then he was there, his body pressed all the way up against hers, the hardness of her belly between them. He thrust one more time and his body tightened and he pulled her closer (if that was possible) and he cried out, collapsing into his wife's arms.

They lay there, intertwined like that, both breathing heavily. Elizabeth was the first to move, running her fingers through Will's hair, pulling his head to her chest.

"I love you," he whispered, bringing his hand to rest on her belly.

"I love you, too"

And then, as if on cue, they felt between them a stubborn and insistent kick from within Elizabeth.

Will smiled. "I love you, too, little one."


	8. Chapter 8

Author's Note: So, right. Here we are in chapter 8, and I still don't own any of these characters. I do, however, own a kickass recording of Brad Mehldau covering Radiohead's "Paranoid Android" and I think it should be required listening for all human beings. And I own 3 cats. And a lot of semi-disposable Swedish-inspired furniture.

This is still for slobberneck, aka oh-you-pretty-things. I pretty much just let my brain explode all over her, and then she organizes the thoughts coherently. Then, I write. It's really a good system. Also, Williz, unacymbal, quilhan, Shaliza/Shani and the rest of the gang over at HTR for their support and input. They're all pretty much holding my hand through this first fic of mine and for that, I am eternally grateful.

Now, where did I leave my rum? I've got a story to tell…If I've completely messed up British secondary education, you can smack me.

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Chapter 8

The next morning, Elizabeth slipped quietly out of bed, careful not to wake her sleeping husband. In years past, she had counted on him to fall asleep far before she did, allowing her time to slip his gifts under the tree before he awoke in the morning. Last night's events, however, had prevented her from remembering what day it was and what her first name was, let alone where she had hidden Will's Christmas presents.

She fumbled with a bag that had been shoved in the back of the closet and was still thankfully, undiscovered and undisturbed. She stole away to the living room and sat down on the floor, arranging his gifts artfully. Nothing particularly exciting this year, she thought and sighed. She should really have been more on top of this. Will had truly been a saint this year. Oh well. She thought. His birthday's in January. I'll go all-out then.

She pulled some new tools and charcoal, a moleskine sketchbook he had been asking for, a couple books he wanted to read, 2 new sweaters and a box of chocolates out of her bag. Vaguely remembering there was something more, she rustled around the bottom of the bag and pulled out the last gift: a copy of Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. She smiled. It was his favorite album, but she wondered if he would remember the significance of it.

No sooner had she finished arranging his gifts under the tree, than did Will appear in the living room.

"Merry Christmas, love," he said, kissing her on the top of the head and dropping a small box in her lap. "Go ahead. Open it!" he said.

She tore into the present, opening it slowly. Inside, she saw a white gold bracelet with 3 tiny charms on it. One of the charms was a little man with a garnet for a body, the other a little woman with an aquamarine for hers. The next was…well, it wasn't much a charm at all. She smiled.

"I..uh…wanted to finish it, but you left me with very little information. I'll make it when I know…"

Elizabeth beamed at him. How in the world was she lucky enough to have a man this thoughtful and drop-dead gorgeous who was also capable of making her jewelry?!

He continued, "see, I would have gone with a pearl for June, since that's when we're due, but just to spite me, the baby would come a few days early…and we don't know if it's a boy or girl…"

"But we will next week!"

He couldn't help but smile at her excitement. He could really care less if the baby was a boy or girl, as long as it was healthy.

"Will, I love it. I absolutely adore it," Elizabeth said. "Now open one of yours!"

Will grabbed the nearest gift to him, and it was definitely CD shaped. "I wonder what this could possibly be?!" he asked sarcastically. Elizabeth just rolled her eyes. "Open it you fool," she said.

He tore the paper aside, revealing a sketch of Bob Dylan's head that he instantly recognized. He grinned widely at her.

"Do you remember?" she asked quietly.

"How could I forget?"

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4 YEARS EARLIER

It was May, and Elizabeth was finally done. It felt surreal, to not have any plans, to not have anywhere to be come September. She had no real direction or desire, however, and had ended up back at her parents' estate, only this time with a diploma. They were, of course, overjoyed to have their only child back in the house and had no desire to push her to leave. Elizabeth resented this.

She was also, for the first time, separate from her boyfriend, James. James Norrington had plenty of direction and ambition and was plenty in-demand with employers. He had taken the family business route, as many of the young men from her university had, and was now going to be a partner in his father's law firm. The only problem being that his father's law firm was in the north, near Manchester. Elizabeth had every intention of living in London. Or at least NOT moving to the God forsaken crater in the earth that was Manchester.

Elizabeth's very close friend Will had been hired by the Swanns as a favor since as long as she could remember to work in the yard. When he was 13, it had been a nice opportunity to make a few extra bucks to spend on whatever it is teenage boys spend money on. By the time he was 18 and had finished school, it really no longer had anything to with the money, but he kept coming back. He had known Elizabeth since they were small children, having both grown up in the area, even attended school together for a time. When Elizabeth turned 16, she of course transferred to a 6th form college. Will had, for various reasons, not. Thus, the only way he could see his friend was when she was home on breaks and he was supposed to be mowing grass. She told him everything. Even though much of it was information girls traditionally saved for, well, other girls, Elizabeth didn't trust anyone like she trusted Will. He looked forward to their time together more than anything.

On that particular May day, Will was just trying to finish weeding the stupid flower bed before the forecasted rain started, growing more and more exasperated with Elizabeth by the minute. She had been inquiring, no, nagging, about what she should do to save herself from the inconvenience of a failed relationship, which was really the last thing Will wanted to hear about. He had planned to give a copy of his favorite CD with her as a "hooray, you've finished Uni" present: Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks. Someday, he'd suggest that they listen to it together and he'd at that point tell her, without hope or agenda, how he really felt about her. But for now, just the CD. And what he was hearing was not helping him move in the direction of giving her the little gift.

"But WILL! What if I don't want to…I mean, long distance relationships are possible, no?"

"I guess," Will muttered.

"I mean, it's just that…well, he's such a good guy!"

That's the problem, thought Will. He's a goddamn good guy. "I don't know what to tell you, Elizabeth."

"William! You always know what to tell me! Your advice is why I am so lucky in love," she mused.

And why I'm not, he thought.

"I mean, I'm ultimately not sure. It's comfortable, though. And my parents love James, and as you know, they are incredibly hard to please."

"Mhm." Will grunted.

"And, he told me he loved me."

And Will's world stopped. Oh god, here it comes, he thought. "And what did you say?"

"I just…I don't want to be alone, you know?" She looked down, concentrating on not meeting his eyes.

Will winced. Not the right answer.

Of course, to him, the right answer was completely improbable. Improbable. Ha. He remembered when he and Elizabeth were maybe 15. She had just finished reading some Paul Davies book about time machines. They laid on their back on the expansive lawns, looking at the stars. "You know, we could instantaneously travel in time and land on one of those stars." Elizabeth pointed out after a long silence. "That's impossible!" Will had said. "There's no such thing as impossible, Will. Just varying degrees of improbability. Truly, and we can look to quantum physics to confirm this, anything is possible!" She had excitedly grabbed his hand during her little sermon, and looking back, Will was pretty sure that if he had to name the exact moment he fell in love with her, that was it. But, who was he kidding? It could have been a million moments. Every moment, even.

Her voice snapped him back to the present. The present in which she was taking his heart, ripping it from his chest and chucking it onto the tarmac in front of the estate to be run over by the inevitable fleet of Range Rovers and Jaguars, just by being her.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to…offend you?" she said. "Is there something wrong? You've been awfully curt this afternoon." She paused. "Is this about a girl!?!" she squealed. "I thought you told me you'd never fall in love or get married." He HAD said that, he thought. That was true enough, and his original coping mechanism for unrequited love. "Answer me! Is this about a girl?!" She was jumping excitedly now.

Yes, he thought. "No. No girl."

"Well, then what is it?" she teased. "Or are you just working on being a sad broody artist, hmmmmm?"

"It's nothing, Elizabeth," he hissed. "Now would you just leave me alone?"

Elizabeth's jaw dropped. She looked like she had been slapped. This was not the quiet, thoughtful and infinitely sweet Will Turner she knew.

"William, as your best friend, I am not leaving this spot until you tell me what is wrong. Because I have known you for the vast majority of my life and thus I would be an idiot if I didn't sense that something is wrong."

Will stood up and took a deep breath. Oh god, this is not how he had planned this. All of a sudden, though, he was floating over his body. Huh, he thought, this is curious…His mouth began to move, totally independent of his better judgment.

"What's wrong? You want to know what's WRONG?! Well, I don't know, Elizabeth. Maybe it's that I'm in love with you and have been for, oh god, several years." Oh god, oh god, oh god…what THE BLOODY HELL am I doing? he thought. But his mouth kept moving. "Maybe it's because I know that I'd still do anything for you, knowing that you'll never feel the same way. I'm not here, being horribly underpaid mind you, for my own personal or monetary gain. You are the one, Elizabeth. You're the person I want to spend my life with. And if not you, no one." It was starting to rain.

Eizabeth just stood there, her mouth hanging open, her eyes wide. She shook her head slowly in total disbelief.

Will shoved his hand in his pocket and pulled out the CD, tossing it to the ground in front of her feet. "Here," he mumbled. "This is my favorite. Listen to the last track." He muttered, then began to walk away.

Elizabeth crouched slowly and picked up the CD, still shaking her head, eyes still wide. She took a step towards him.

"No. Just leave me alone. If I can't be with you, I don't….I don't even want to be your friend. Go call bloody Norrington for all I care." He said calmly, coldly, evenly. Then, he walked away.

Elizabeth stayed frozen to the spot for what could have been 10 seconds or an hour. She flipped the CD over in her hands and examined it. Curious, she looked at the last track: "Buckets of Rain". Fitting, she thought. Bloody good timing. She turned to go inside and listen, eager to hear what Will had to say but couldn't.

She put the CD in her stereo, scanning the grounds from her second story window. No sign of Will. She skipped to track 10. Suddenly, she was surrounded by bittersweet, twangy acoustic guitar chords. And soon enough began Bob Dylan's characteristic drawl.

_Buckets of rain_

_Buckets of tears_

_Got all them buckets comin' out of my ears._

_Buckets of moonbeams in my hand,_

_I got all the love, honey baby,_

_You can stand._

_I been meek_

_And hard like an oak_

_I seen pretty people disappear like smoke._

_Friends will arrive, friends will disappear,_

_If you want me, honey baby,_

_I'll be here._

_Like your smile_

_And your fingertips_

_Like the way that you move your lips._

_I like the cool way you look at me,_

_Everything about you is bringing me_

_Misery._

_Little red wagon_

_Little red bike_

_I ain't no monkey but I know what I like._

_I like the way you love me strong and slow,_

_I'm takin' you with me, honey baby,_

_When I go._

_Life is sad_

_Life is a bust_

_All ya can do is do what you must._

_You do what you must do and ya do it well,_

_I'll do it for you, honey baby,_

_Can't you tell?_

Somewhere during the song, she had started to sob. Why had she been such an idiot all this time? She remembered thinking, at various points in her life, how perfect it would be to just…grow old with William Turner. But why would he want someone like her? He was perfect…selfless, hard-working, honest, caring, warm, smart, talented…and quite easy on the eyes…and what was she? A spoiled little princess with a good education and her parents' open chequebook at her disposal? She had convinced herself a long time ago that it would never work. After all, he said he'd never fall in love. How stupid she had been.

And suddenly, she was outside, running across the grounds in the torrential downpour as fast as her legs could carry her. She crested the hill Will had disappeared behind, her sobs throwing her off balance, blurring her vision. She saw the shape of a figure meandering up ahead. She wiped her eyes and in front of her stood William.

He just stood there and looked at her, incredulous. Disappointed, even.

"Will, I…" she stammered. Oh, to hell with it, she thought. She ran to him, bridging the distance between them in mere nanoseconds. She jumped into his arms and he caught her automatically, wrapping them tightly around her. Her hands were in his hair and she pulled his head to hers, their mouths making contact, kissing each other hungrily. She wrapped her legs around his waist, which threw him off balance, and before they knew it, they were laying in a mud puddle, filthy and laughing hysterically, kissing again and again.

"So, I take it…" he said, breaking their kiss.

"I didn't tell him I loved him, Will." She smiled. "I love you. Oh god, it feels so good to finally say it. I love you!" She laughed. They laughed together.

And she threw her muddy self at him, kissing his face. "Let's go inside and get cleaned up, shall we?" She stood and smiled coyly and really, he had no choice but to grab her hand and follow her back into the estate.

When they arrived in the door, he followed her closely and nervously. He had been in the Swann house of course, but never like this.

"Oh relax Will," she said, reading his mind. "They're not here." She put his hands on his chest. "Let's get out of these clothes."

He swallowed. "Out…clothes…?"

She smiled again, that same coy smile from outside and grabbed his hands. Who has he to argue? Here he was, standing the foyer of the grand estate, with the woman he had secretly loved for forever. He would be stupid to put the brakes on now.

And suddenly, they were in her room, and she was peeling his t-shirt off of his chest and running her hands over his skin. He shuddered under her touch. He hadn't really ever been with a woman, as embarrassed as he was to admit that at 21 years old. He had only been kissed…maybe twice?

She looked at him and smiled at him in a way that made his head spin; he had never seen that smile before. She placed his hands on the hem of her shirt and nodded. Nervously, as though he were worried he could mess up removing a shirt, he pulled it off of her and ran his hand gently down her arm. She closed her eyes and sighed at his touch. Intriuged, he tan his fingers back along her collarbone and then boldly between her breasts. She stepped closer and pressed herself into him. Then, she unhooked her bra and let it fall to the floor.

It was so new, all of it. She just wanted to savor it. The feel of his skin on hers made her shudder and moan lightly.

All of sudden, Will's heart was beating about a million miles an hours. He searched her face nervously for direction, worried that whatever he might try would be wrong and he'd somehow scare her or embarrass her. She just smiled up at him and took his hand and lead it to her chest…

Will didn't realize how aroused he'd be, just by touching her. Elizabeth could feel him pressed up against her and dropped her hand to the bulge in his pants. Will seized up at the touch.

Soon enough, they had both managed to lose their pants in a fit of touching, exploring, communicating with their only eyes. Now, they were laying on her bed. Elizabeth looked up at him and nodded.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded again and smiled, that same secret smile.

"Elizabeth, I'd wait forever for you."

"And I can't," she said simply.

She spread her legs and he positioned himself at her entrance, searching her face constantly for a sign he should stop. Slowly, as gently as he could, he entered her.

Pain coursed through her. He entire lower half throbbed as he pushed himself all the way inside her. She gasped and winced. A little blood trickled down to the bed as he pulled out.

"Elizabeth, have I….oh my god...are you..?"

"Will, just please…it's not going to get better unless we…" she stopped and cleared her throat, still aching between her legs. "I want you," she said. "I need this."

Will nodded, moving slowly back in her.

And almost at once, he seized and lost all control.

"I'm so…Elizabeth, I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." He was a deep shade of red and tears were forming at the corners of his eyes.

She reached up and thoughtfully brushed a tear aside. "Why?" she asked.

"I'm just…I hurt you, and then it was over so fast…I just…"

"Shhhh, Will." she said brushing his hair out of his face. "This is perfect. I love you." She smiled again, that damned smile. "and Will?"

"Wha?"

"Who says the afternoon is over?"

They were jolted awake some hours later to the sound of voices below them. Elizabeth heard them first and pulled clothing on with light speed, shaking Will awake in the process. He rubbed his eyes "What's going on?" he asked.

"Parents. Home." Elizabeth said through gritted teeth.

Will got dressed as though someone had a gun to his head and was going to shoot him if he didn't dress in 10 seconds or less. And he knew that that particular situation wasn't too far off if he didn't get dressed.

"Now what?" he asked. But she didn't say anything. She just pulled him wordlessly down the back staircase. Will had to laugh at the way she was walking, even though he genuinely felt bad for hurting her. She handed him a bottle of water from the pantry. "Now, just pretend we've been talking" she hissed.

"Yes," Elizabeth said. "They say the weather is going to be better by the end of the week. So how about those…um…Cubs?"

"Who are the Cubs?" Will whispered.

"Um…some American something team. They were mentioned in a novel I just finished."

"What sport?"

"No idea."

Weatherby approached them. "Ah, William! It doesn't look like you're going to be getting any more work done on the garden today, it's so muddy now and I'd hate to send you home all wet and dirty." Elizabeth and Will exchanged amused glances. "How about I give you a ride home?"

Elizabeth glared at her father. Will shrugged. "Erm, yes…sir?"

Weatherby nodded. "Elizabeth, your mother is out back in the stables; she'd like to ride with you." Elizabeth winced, which Weatherby caught. "Oh come on now darling. you haven't ridden Christabel in some time! Go on!" Grudgingly Elizabeth went.

And as she bumped around on a horse that evening experiencing some of the most intense pain she had ever experienced, she smiled to herself. She loved William Turner. She had HAD William Turner in fact and she loved him and that was all that mattered!

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They had made their traditional Christmas breakfast of Cinnamon rolls from a tube, artfully augmented with maraschino cherries, cleaned up, showered and were now ready to spend Christmas with the Swanns. They would, in fact, be spending several days with the Swanns; the big baby shower planned for the couple would be happening mere days after Christmas. Will could, erm, hardly wait.

They gathered up their bags and gifts and began to head out to their car.

As they were packing, however, a little late model black car double parked them in.

"Ah," Elizabeth said sarcastically. "It's the Pearl."

"What in the name of…" Will said.

Jack stepped out of the car with his usual cocky swagger. "I have come to bid you good tidings, friends!" He flailed his arms dramatically. He approached Will as Elizabeth ran back into the flat to get something she had forgotten. "Indulging in some good old fashioned Christmas masochism with this in-laws I see?"

"Well, I wouldn't…"

"You're a trooper, my friend. I don't generally count myself among the sane, but I can say that any sane man would not in a million years try to take on his in-laws AND his pregnant wife simultaneously." He reached into his jacket. "Speaking of pregnant wives, I got to feeling a little sorry for you and took the liberty of getting you this," he said, shoving something into Will's hands as Elizabeth appeared from inside. Will glanced at it. "XXX Girls Gone…!" Will noticed Elizabeth and grew silent, looking for somewhere to discard the DVD. He threw it under the driver's seat of the car before Elizabeth could see it.

"Well, hello Jack."

"'Ello Lizzie. Happy Christmas!"

"And to you."

"Well, I best be on my way. You two have a fun holiday. Especially you, William!"

As Jack disappeared, Elizabeth asked "Especially you?"

"I have no idea what he's talking about."

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Elizabeth elected to drive, allowing Will to nap, something he had been doing quite often.

It wasn't because he was ill or tired, but sleep provided him an excuse not to think about the stress that was secretly consuming him.

Only, all of a sudden, though, he was in a delivery room, the baby about to arrive. Oh god, he was not ready for this! He had until June! Elizabeth was screaming and there was blood everywhere, but there was no one around to be seen. Except Dr. Steele. He ran to the Doctor and begged him to help Elizabeth, but he simply laughed, walked over to Elizabeth and kissed her. The blood kept coming, but Elizabeth now had her arms around the doctor, kissing him, laughing at Will…then the unthinkable happened. She tore in half, leaving lots of blood. And a baby.

Suddenly, there he was in his flat, with the baby. And Jack was there too, wearing a flowery apron, going on and on about the garden party he wanted to throw. The baby was screaming and Will was trying to feed it and for the life of him could not find anything, so he asked Jack.

Jack would only repeat "And you're not invited!"

The baby continued to scream.

So he found himself, screaming baby in his hands, running around London, in which every grocery store had suddenly run out of milk. He ran back to the flat, but the door was locked. He heard Jack inside, entertaining people for his garden party. As he knocked on the door, everyone inside just laughed.

So, he ran, screaming baby in his arms, all the way to the Swann mansion, safely outside London. He knocked on the door and someone answered.

It was Weatherby, only with flaring red eyes. And a big sword he had presumably taken off one of the displays on the wall of the study. Will begged for him to feed the baby but…Weatherby just ran him through with the sword. Mary joined his side and laughed.

Will screamed.

------------------------------------------------

"Good god, Will!" Elizabeth came softly into focus. "Are you ok?!"

"Wha…oh! Elizabeth!" He threw his arms around her. "And the baby?" He put his hand to her stomach.

"Will, we're fine," she said. "Nothing's happened. We've just arrived at my parents'…"

Will winced.

"Are you quite all right? Did you…did you have a bad dream?"

The doors of the car were open and Weatherby and Mary stared inside from a distance. Will, who couldn't quite shake himself awake, waved weakly.

"Apparently." He got up. "Elizabeth is was…awful, you were…"

"Shhhhh," she crooned, getting to her feet and going to his side. "We're here now. It wasn't real."

Will looked around cautiously and started to gather their bags and parcels to bring into the house. This was going to be a long few days, he thought.


	9. Chapter 9

I'm sorry in advance that I let this get a little long. It's worth it, I promise! It's like 2 (or 6.) chapters in one without a good place to split them! A two-fer, I say! And I will also start by saying this: It is going to be ok. This is a romantic comedy. It's all going to turn out just fine.

Obligatory Disclaimer Time: These chapters are owned by some combination of Disney and Tednterry! Actually, I'm sure T&T sold the rights and are ROLLING IN MONEY RIGHT NOW. I was not, however, the person they sold them to. I have less than $300 in my checking account, which would get me rights to Jack the monkey's left big toe for 5 days or something comparable.

THANKS for all of the reviews! I am coming to measure my self-esteem in the reviews I get, as incredibly sad as that is. To open my inbox and see a nice review makes sitting in a cubicle with a boss who is also a stage director a little more bearable. Keep R&R&R&R&R&R&Ring. Yes. I said it. Williz, slobberneck and unacymbal…to you 3 as always.

For those of you who have commented on my music taste, thank you, and I'm currently listening to The Arcade Fire, "Neighborhood #1 (Tunnels)" from the album called "Funeral".

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Chapter 9

It was the day of the baby shower, and at 9AM, the Swann estate was already a flurry of activity. Mary and Weatherby wanted as grand an event as Elizabeth would reasonably permit; they felt she deserved it and knew that her husband could surely not provide what they had in mind. They had caterers lined up, a cake, party games, cocktails (which made absolutely no sense to Elizabeth, but she ultimately went with it)…essentially, completely over-the-top, but in true Swann fashion. They had invited all of their friends. In fact, they had even thought to invite some of Elizabeth and Will's friends.

Elizabeth awoke in the guest room, next to Will who was, as usual, still asleep. He had been up and down all night with nightmares recently, which concerned her somewhat; she had never known him to have nightmares, at least not regularly. She figured she should wait to ask him about it, though, until they were home and settled. He wasn't fond of being at the Swann estate; just tolerated it because Elizabeth seemed happy enough to go back and because the Swanns were, well, his inlaws.

When Elizabeth had dressed and showered and come downstairs, she was absolutely shocked at the amount of activity taking place in the house already. Her parents had rented extra tables which were being set up, linens for said tables were being distributed, the caterers were already getting set up. For a minute, Elizabeth was terribly worried that she and Will had slept in. Just then, she noticed a familiar face, meticulously decorating a lavish card-box with frumpy silk flowers and equally frumpy wrapping paper.

"Jack Sparrow, whatever are you doing here?!" she asked, hands on her hips.

"What's it look like I'm doing here, love?" he responded sarcastically. "C'mon Lizzie. I know that your powers of deduction are extraordinary!" He paused as he caught Mary Swann out of the corner of his eye. "Ah! Mrs. Swann! Is there anything else I can help you with, dear, before the guests arrive?"

Elizabeth rolled her eyes dramatically as her mother walked past.

"Oh, Elizabeth dear! You're up! Don't roll your eyes like that at Jackie! He's such a nice boy!"

Elizabeth's mouth dropped open in disbelief. Jack winked at her.

"I don't know if 'nice' is really the word you're searching for, Mum."

"Don't be snotty, Elizabeth. Jack, if it's not too much trouble, I'd love some help putting out the centerpieces!"

"Of course, Mrs. Swann! And might I add, that they are lovely centerpieces!" Jack gushed.

"Centerpieces?!" Elizabeth cried. "Is someone getting married or something and I was simply not informed? And why is everyone here already when this thing doesn't start for 4 hours?"

"Oh, Elizabeth, don't be silly. You and my grandchild deserve this!"

"Yeah!" Jack jumped in, feigning ardent agreement with Mary much to Elizabeth's chagrin. "Don't be silly!"

"And anyway, your friend Jack here has agreed to give a toast at lunch. Won't that be nice, dear?"

Oh dear god, Elizabeth thought. "Erm, yes, it sure will!"

She elbowed Jack hard as her mother turned her back and walked away. "A toast?! Are you mad?!"

"In the immortal words of Lewis Carroll, darling, 'we're all mad here'." Jack grinned. "Happy baby-wotsit day!"

Elizabeth huffed. "Can you please promise me one thing?"

"For you, love, anything."

"Just don't drink any rum, lager, or other alcoholic beverages before your speech."

"Ok, almost anything then."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "I'm warning you, if you do something to embarrass Will or myself, I'll have your head!"

"Blimey! Retract your claws, kitten. I…erm…promise? Yes, that's it. Promise. I promise."

Elizabeth relaxed. Just then, her father approached, putting his hands on her shoulders. "Ah, Elizabeth, dear! Good morning!"

"Good morning, Daddy!" she said, suddenly in a much better mood.

"Good morning, Mr. Swann!" Jack echoed Elizabeth's enthusiasm. She glared at him, which Weatherby missed.

"Oh, good morning m'boy! Thank you for all of your help, it's really taken a lot of Mary's shoulders!"

Elizabeth simmered. Why was Jack capable of winning anyone and everyone over, despite being such a shifty and arrogant bastard in reality? And why, despite all of Will's efforts, wouldn't Weatherby address Will as 'm'boy' or, hell, say nice things to or about him?

Weatherby turned to Elizabeth. "Dear, would you mind terribly coming with me to get the cake? I suppose the delivery was scheduled for the wrong time and…I'll fill up your car for you. What do you say?" Weatherby had been anxious for a little one-on-one time with his daughter; she had grown up at light speed it seemed, and soon she'd be a mother. A working mother in fact, and he was sure his opportunities to speak with her would be even more slim.

"Of course, Daddy," she said warmly, still glaring at Jack, who simply smiled and shrugged.

-----------------------------------------

Elizabeth had opted to drive. She loved driving when she could; it wasn't something they did a whole lot of living in London, which was well-served by public transport, and with their inability to constantly afford gasoline. Something about hitting the open road, especially outside of the confines of the city, was completely refreshing.

The pair drove in silence at first, save for Weatherby quietly giving directions to the bakery. They arrived, barely a word said between them for the trip there. They picked up the cake and were on their way once more. On the return trip, Weatherby was the first to break the silence.

"So…" he said awkwardly. "How is everything?"

"It's quite good," Elizabeth replied. "And with you?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. And the baby?"

"The baby is well, Dad." She smiled. "We find out the sex after we get home!"

Weatherby smiled. What he wanted most was a healthy grandchild. Of course, he did sort of picture a grandson he could take to see Manchester United play…

"I remember when your mum was expecting you," he recalled. "It doesn't feel like it was 26 years ago, that's for sure!" He paused. "It was quite an adventure: the pregnancy, raising you. I wouldn't trade it for anything, though."

Elizabeth smiled and put her hand over his.

"I'm so proud of you, kitten," he said finally. "You've done so well for yourself, and you've done it all on your own." He sighed.

"Whatever do you mean? I could never have done this without you and Mum!"

"I mean, you could have continued to live with us, you could have married within our circle, you could have relied on myself or my friends to get you a job…but you did none of those. You're smart, brave and headstrong," he said. "You remind me of myself."

Elizabeth sighed. "I had always been under the impression you and Mum would have been more pleased if I had chosen one of those paths."

"It's because we worry about you. Parents do that, you'll know all about that pretty soon. It would have been easier for you to do those things. It would have guaranteed you all the things we wanted for you."

He continued. "But, despite that every parents wants to give their child more than they ever had, you had the strength to realize that maybe you didn't want or need your life handed to you on a silver platter. I've come to admire that. And now, you're about to bring a little person into the world who will get to learn it all first hand from you!"

Elizabeth smiled, then sighed. "But, I've always been under the impression that you don't approve of any of this. Not my job, not where I live, not Will."

Weatherby swallowed and licked his lips. "Elizabeth, you have to understand that people like me and your Mum aren't used to people like Will and his father."

Elizabeth stiffened.

"I know, I know. It sounds awful, but it's true: you're taught to love everyone and you do, in theory. But then, you actually meet them and it's just hard to have anything in common, hard to understand where they've come from, what their experience has been. Harder still when that person is marrying the most important person in YOUR life. It was our goal to hand you everything and we've always been unsure that Will could do that for you."

"But Daddy, you said it yourself. I don't need all of those things! Will HAS given me everything I've needed!"

"I know. I've been coming to realize that. It's incredibly hard to trust someone with the thing that is most special to you. It's even more difficult when you can hardly understand where they've come from." Weatherby took a deep breath. "I've come to realize, watching him especially recently and with you in a delicate way…I'm very proud of him, too. And despite how I may have felt in the past, I like him very much. I daresay, he's like a s-"

Just then, a fawn darted out of the woods and into the middle of the road. Elizabeth swerved and slammed on the breaks, narrowly missing the frightened animal and causing Weatherby and herself to fly forward. A few objects from under the front seat also went flying forward.

Weatherby shook himself and immediately turned to Elizabeth.

"Are you all right?!"

Elizabeth nodded, breathing heavily, still startled.

"And the baby?"

She put her hand to her belly and felt the flutter and kick she had already grown accustomed to feeling in response to her touches.

"Fine. Are you all right?"

"Yes, quite." Weatherby reached down by his feet. "Something came dislodged…" He looked down at what was in his hand: an open DVD of good, old-fashioned porn; topless airbrushed women on the cover included. "Elizabeth…what in the name…is this?"

Elizabeth grabbed the DVD from his hand without turning to look at it. When she finally realized what she was holding, her face went white. "I…well, this clearly isn't mine," she stammered.

"Well, then whose is it?!" Weatherby raised his voice.

"It couldn't be Will's. He knows how I feel about this kind of thing." Elizabeth fumed.

"Elizabeth, I thought we taught you better than to involve yourself in…this! This filth!"

"I told you! It isn't mine!" Elizabeth was seething. How and WHY would Will ever stoop to this level?! He knew…KNEW!...how she felt about this unnecessary and disgusting objectification of women. They had HAD this conversation!

"Well, if it isn't yours, I can only assume that it belongs to your husband. Who obviously is less righteous than I proclaimed a moment ago."

Elizabeth just nodded, little tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "I…I don't know why he'd do this. Maybe he's just…"

"What?!" said Weatherby. "You're still his wife, even when you're with child, even when the baby is born. And if he suddenly finds my little girl any less radiant than she is, I swear, I will wring his neck…"

And I will help, thought Elizabeth. They drove the rest of the way in silence.

---------------------------------

Will finally woke up. He had had an awful few nights. Each night was a similar nightmare: he was left alone with a baby he was unable to care for. And every night, he failed miserably.

Daytimes were much kinder to Will. The Swanns, particularly Weatherby, had been much more friendly to Will and included him in all outings and conversations. Elizabeth continued to be happy and affectionate; she grew more excited by the day. Mary had gotten her a copy of What to Expect When You're Expecting and she pored over it constantly with her mother. Will left it well alone; what he didn't know couldn't freak him out.

He showered and dressed quickly, throwing his hair back into a messy ponytail. He ran down the stairs, eager to impress Mary with his willingness to help. He found her in the living room with none other than Jack Sparrow, huddled around the TV with lots of ribbon and flower arrangements. They were watching 'The Way We Were'.

"Jack!" Will said.

Jack turned around. "Dear William!"

"I didn't take you for a Barbara Streissand fan, mate."

"Well, you know, it's on Mrs. Swann's list of 'Movies You Can't Click Through' so I just must see the ending…"

Will raised his eyebrows and looked at Jack incredulously. "I'll save you the trouble: 'See ya, Katie.' 'See ya, Hubbell.' Now if you don't mind…"

"Nah, William. I think Mrs. Swann and I have this covered. Isn't that right, Mrs. Swann?"

"Oh yes! Will, you never told me you had such nice friends!" Mary gushed.

Will rolled his eyes.

Just that moment, Will heard the door open. Elizabeth stormed in, red faced, with Weatherby carefully carrying the cake behind her.

"Lizzie, what's the mat-" Will started.

Elizabeth looked him right in the eyes with a look that could disarm anyone completely, slammed the DVD down on the coffee table and ran out of the room.

Jack and Will both looked down at the object she had just slammed on the table. Will looked back up at Jack with a look that could just as easily kill.

"See ya, Katie!" Jack exclaimed, before getting up and running out of the room.

Will took one look from Weatherby (who looked angry) to Mary (who looked shocked and disgusted) and followed Jack.

"It was his," Weatherby concluded. "Well, I guess we gave him too much credit." Mary nodded and he sighed. "Right. Well, I'll be taking this." He picked up the DVD and Mary looked at him quizzically. "To dispose of. Right."

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By the time Will reached Elizabeth's old room, she had already barricaded herself inside. He could hear her sobbing from the outside and his heart sank. To make things even worse, party guests were arriving downstairs.

"Elizabeth?"

"I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOU! LEAVE!"

"Can't I just explain?" Will pleaded.

Something heavy, perhaps a shoe, hit the back of the door. "What could there POSSIBLY BE to explain? You left…fucking PORN IN MY CAR! As if the fact that you own porn is not bloody bad enough!"

Well technically, he thought, it's OUR car. "I didn't put it there! I swear! "

"Then who did?! A ghost?!"

"No, it's…it's Jack's!"

"That is the dumbest bloody thing I've ever heard. So Jack is an easy bloody scapegoat. I understand that. HOW DID HE GET INTO OUR CAR YOU BLOODY MORON?!"

Will winced. He sincerely hoped the arriving guests couldn't hear this. "I…he…" Just then, Will heard a familiar voice in the foyer. Ana! "Erm, be right back!" he said to the door.

He ran down the stairs just as Ana was introducing herself to Mary. Mary glared at Will as he tugged Ana away as politely as he could.

"Ana," he said very sweetly. "I'm going to need your help."

"Oh dear lord, what is it this time?"

"She's in her room."

"Got it." And just like that, Ana sprung into action.

Will sighed and paced around the party. He recognized some classmates of Elizabeth's that they had gone out with previously. Perhaps he'd attach himself to them. He also saw Jack, the bastard, behind the open bar. Controlling the liquor.

Will walked up to him. "So this is why you were so cordial and helpful," Will said.

"I just can't help myself," he responded. "Oh, and the speech. I've been working on it for weeks, mate. It's going to be worthy of Churchill himself."

Will slammed his fists down on the table. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"About what?"

"The…erm…video."

"Oh, that! Well, if I must explain, there comes a time when a boy becomes a man. And in this time he may experience certain urges…"

A guest that Will presumed to be Mary's friend looked at him quizzically before grabbing her mimosa and walking away.

"I meant claiming responsibility," Will hissed.

"Well, it's certainly not my bloody fault that you like to entertain yourself in your car." Jack thought to himself for a minute. "Or that your hiding places are awful. Listen mate, I opt for keeping mine at work…"

"Are you seriously not getting this? I don't watch that rubbish!" Will yelled before realizing several people were looking at him.

"So it is true," an older woman whispered to her companion, out of earshot of Will and Jack.

"William, you know I don't believe that for a second. I also don't believe that your bonny lass could possibly be that upset. Nothing a bunch of flowers and a Barbara Streissand movie won't fix. Now, I need to get back to work," Jack said, turning away from Will.

Will sighed. It just keeps getting better and better, he thought as he walked away with a bottle of Newcastle. I'm going to need this.

The older woman approached the bar, where she was handed a perfectly made champagne cocktail. "Was that Elizabeth's husband?" she asked in a whisper.

"The one and only," Jack said before he took a long deep swig from his tumbler of rum.

"I hear he works in the dodgy part of Hackney! What does he do there?!"

Jack leaned in and whispered. "Throws dice in the alley. Works out nicely most days, frankly. But less so when he has to put Lizzie out on the street…"

The guest gasped and walked away and Jack smirked. These people, he thought oblivious of any consequences he might incur. What a funny bunch they are! Believe anything, they will….

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Chapter 9 and ¾

Eventually, Elizabeth decided to emerge from her room after much convincing from Ana. Will waited by the stairs, eager to apologize and explain. No such luck, however; Elizabeth blew right past him without saying a word. Ana also walked wordlessly past him, only she gave him a dirty look.

No sooner had Elizabeth crossed into the foyer than she was stormed by a crowd of doting women. They all complimented her, cooed endlessly over how radiant she was and how much she was glowing, and put their hands on her belly to feel the little kicks. Will watched from a distance. She DID look radiant and she WAS glowing and she smiled genuinely at their attention and Will felt weak in the knees.

Will took a place on a sofa in the corner of the large room everyone had congregated in next to a teenaged boy he vaguely recognized as the son of Swann family friends.

"You a footballer" he asked the boy.

"Erm, yeah?" said the boy without even turning to him.

"Uh, me too…I pull for Chelsea…" Sensing how akward this would be, he took a deep swallow from his bottle and settled into the couch. On the other side of the room, he saw the shower games beginning. The men all shuffled out into the garden

Elizabeth beamed. It felt nice to have all eyes on her, for once in a good way. Everyone was so positive, so excited, so interested. She didn't know exactly why Will swung back and forth with his emotions so much. Obviously, he was excited but he had had moments of being absolutely distant and almost cold throughout the pregnancy thus far. It made it harder to have sympathy for him…ah, she decided. Musn't dwell. Today is my day!

The ladies all gathered around her, touching her belly, telling her stories.

"When you carry like that, it means it's a boy!" one said.

"Those kicks mean the little girl will be 2 weeks early!" another added.

It was like having a room full of fairy godmothers!

They ultimately decided the baby would be a little boy, who weighed 8lbs, 9 oz., born on June 1st, based on a party game that allowed them all to vote. The, or person who turned out to be most close, would eventually get a prize. Then, they all swarmed Elizabeth for name ideas.

"What are you going to call him?!"

"Yeah! What's Mary's little grandson going to be called?!"

"Well," she responded thoughtfully, "we haven't talked about it much."

The ladies whispered a little under their breaths. "It's because her husband is only concerned with one thing! Mary told me!" one whispered to her friend. "Oh, I know, I heard all about this morning's little shenanigan" her friend responded. "Doesn't make enough to take care of her; she's just been too busy to enjoy her baby!"

All of the whispering confused Elizabeth who couldn't quite figure out why everyone was so concerned with and apparently disappointed in her lack of baby names. Ana looked at Elizabeth and excused herself to talk to Mary, sensing Elizabeth's discomfort.

After Ana whispered something in her ear, Mary climbed up on a chair. "Ladies and Gentlemen, we're going to go ahead and have lunch! Hurry into the dining room now!" she said somewhat nervously.

Everyone, including Will and the apparently brain dead teenager, got up and shuffled to the tables that had been set up in the obscenely large dining room. Will caught Elizabeth's eye and walked over to her, pulling out her chair for her and allowing her to sit down. She glared at him coyly, but not as angrily as she had before. Will then pulled out the chair of the woman who was to sit next to Elizabeth, who glared condescendingly at him. Does everyone know something I don't? he thought. Wait. They probably do. DAMN! JACK!

Before Will could sit down, he heard a glass clinking. He also noticed that he and Jack were the only ones not sitting and that about half the room was staring at him. The half that wasn't staring at Jack.

Oh, here it comes, thought Will and Elizabeth simultaneously. Will looked at Elizabeth nervously and she returned the sentiment with her eyes.

"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Jack cleared his throat. "We are gathered here to celebrate two of my most favorite friends, 'Lizabeth Turner and William Turner."

Oh god, he's sloshed, the Turners thought, again, in tandem.

"William Turner. I have known the lad for years. And what can be said about William Turner that can't be said about a bag of carpets?"

Jack paused for dramatic effect and everyone looked around at each other, confused.

A bag of…what? Elizabeth thought.

Do they generally bag carpets? thought Will.

"And 'Lizabeth. So pretty and much too good for my best mate! Well," he continued as Will and Elizabeth wished the floor would swallow them, "one thing is for sure. This pair will have INCREDIBLY ATTRACTIVE CHILDREN!" Jack laughed to himself. Elizabeth's face was completely red. "Well, you two, may you be treated well by your children: the STD that never goes away!"

Mary sprung from her chair. "Erm, here here! Now let's enjoy," she yelled over Jack, who hiccupped and slumped back into hair chair.

Will ate almost completely in silence, acutely aware that everyone in the room thought him to be a first-rate asshole with irritating friends. Elizabeth on the other hand, purposely decided to ignore her husband and perhaps even stick it to him a little bit, demonstrating her innocence in the situation at hand.

As people finished their lunch, guests began to stack their gifts beside the couple. Elizabeth could barely contain herself. So many gorgeously wrapped boxes for her to choose from! A full card box! This was all so exciting. The whole day had made everything so much more real to her. And now, she'd have her very first baby-sized things…bottles, onesies, pacifiers…in her HANDS!

"Well, Elizabeth?" Weatherby asked. "Why don't you get started?!"

Elizabeth grabbed the first box and shook it, like she did as a kid on Christmas morning. It sounded like clothes! Her baby's very first outfit! She couldn't stay angry with Will at that point; she could go back to avoiding him later, but right now…she turned and grinned widely at him. His heart spring back off of his stomach and he smiled back and put his arm around her as she tore into the first gift.

What he saw inside shocked him.

Elizabeth pulled something out of the box. Something red and gold. Will's heart sunk back into his stomach.

"Oh Daddy! Thank you!" She held up the gift for all to see. It was a baby-sized Manchester United jersey. Now, Elizabeth was back to sticking it to her husband. What a perfect opportunity to do so!

Will almost cried. Insult to injury, he thought. It was a widely known fact that he supported Chelsea and that no child of his would wear a bloody Manchester jersey. Maybe he could burn it at the studio without Elizabeth noticing…

They opened gift after gift, Elizabeth artfully ignoring Will and Will artfully ignoring the dirty looks he was getting from the majority of the party guests. They had bottles and nappies and blankets and stuffed bears and just about everything one could need to take care of a baby.

When they had finished opening their gifts, Elizabeth got up to talk to some of her guests and thank them for coming. Wanting to avoid any and all possible confrontation, Will began to gather up their gifts and load them into the car.

Had what he done really been that unforgivable? he thought. It had been pretty bad. And he knew how Elizabeth felt about…that sort of thing. He felt very much the same, which was precisely why he didn't partake in such things. She knew that, so why was she being so stubborn? I mean, she must have been embarrassed. God, I embarrassed her in front of everyone…ok, so maybe it was that bad. Although…he had never known her to just stop speaking to someone that she was angry with….

His thoughts were interrupted as he saw Elizabeth walk past him across the tarmac.

"Wha…Where are you going? We haven't packed our things or said goodbye!" Will said.

"Well, you haven't said goodbye, and between you and me, you may not want to bother." She laughed. "I'm going back to London with Ana."

"Wha…WHY?!"

"Because I'm upset with you, and I don't want to talk about it right now. That's why."

"Can't you just…that's insane, Elizabeth. It wasn't that bad!"

"See, actually, it was. Which is part of why I need to be…not stuck in a car with you right now."

His heart sunk even deeper. He hadn't even meant to do anything! He was careless, that was for damn sure, but not intentionally malicious or inflammatory!

He tried to find something to say to make her stay, but couldn't find the words. The car door slammed shut. SHIT! he thought. He could have chased the car, like they do in the movies, but he was fairly confident that it wouldn't really help matters. He put the rest of the gifts in the back of the car and slipped quietly into the house to pack.

As soon as he was done, he quietly and awkwardly thanked Weatherby and Mary for everything, offering them help cleaning up even though he was fully aware they wouldn't want it (from him, at least.) He apologized and as he was leaving noticed something. Or someone rather.

"We pillage, plunder, rifle and loot! Drink up me 'earties, yo ho…" someone sang pitifully, then hiccupped loudly. Will looked down at the sofa.

"William! Great party, eh?!" Jack slurred, slumped over on a sofa, without even opening his eyes.

"Oh dear god, Jack." Suddenly, Will was faced with a choice: he could take Jack back to London with him, or he could let him pass out in the Swann's living room and have a very rude awakening. He considered the possibilities before making a choice.

"I hate myself," Will thought aloud as he more or less dragged Jack outside, more or less throwing him in the passenger seat of the car. "Do NOT puke in my car, arsehole," he said as Jack passed out. The two drove wordlessly back into the city.

--------------------------------

After having more or less dumped Jack off in front of his block of flats, Will drove back to Brixton and parked the car. He unloaded their belongings and carried them all up to the door, alone, in several trips. He awkwardly managed to get them all back into the flat and decided he could put them away later.

He walked into the bedroom. Elizabeth, her face red and her eyes puffy had recently dozed off, propped up on the pillows, the phone still in her hand.

Will carefully lifted her, making her more comfortable and sliding the covers over her. He kissed her forehead and she smiled in her sleep and conked her head into his unconsciously. He smiled and turned out the light and took his pyjamas into the living room, changing and settling down on the futon. He was already thinking of ways he could get himself out of this and they did, in fact, involve a bunch of flowers and a movie.


	10. Chapter 10

DISCLAIMAH! Disney owns these characters. And much of the civilized world for that matter.

Unacymbal, Slobberneck (who is also oh-you-pretty-things) and Williz…thank ya kindly! I had a week that, really, was beyond crappy for a number of reasons, and then I got mail. Mail from Karen, which is the only thing better than getting just regular old mail

Note: The restaurant in this chapter…well, as a fun little side-note, it's actually in Chicago and not London. I've never been to London. So kick me. It just seemed like somewhere our heroes would like to eat.

And thanks for your reviews! Ah! I love them! And you!

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Chapter 10

Elizabeth picked at the bacon, eggs and toast that had magically materialized by her bed that morning. This had become a regular occurrence over the 4 days since she and Will had returned from her parents' house, and every day she found Will gone and his pillows and blankets stacked neatly on the futon. Additionally, there were 3 vases stuffed with flowers lined up on her dresser, each with a note of apology attached to it. Curiously, none had appeared this morning. Perhaps he had given up on the flower thing.

She wasn't entirely sure how to feel, and that was problem. She had yet to really speak to him; not for lack of wanting, but because she wasn't entirely sure what to say. Should she apologize, let it blow over and accept that it wasn't that big of a deal? (Men will be men, like boys will be boys, she thought.) Should she lecture him over how hurt she was that he'd completely ignore something that was that important to her (even though she knew that the rest of the world essentially didn't share her view and wouldn't have felt it a big deal at all)? Should she allow him to explain even though she didn't really understand what there could possibly be to explain?

She had to figure something out, and fast. Their evenings were spent cordially but coldly, commenting on little things, even sometimes sharing the futon to watch TV for brief periods. But today, they would find out the sex of their baby. It was too huge a milestone to waste over something like this. But she had been hurt and embarrassed. The fact remained. He hurt her and…

So, this was how she had been: her mind chasing its own tail.

She sighed and pushed the tray aside, swinging her feet over to the floor. Maybe I'm just stressed, she thought. I'll just…tell him how I feel and re-explain my feelings about the unnecessary and offensive objectification of women and that it makes me feel cheap and less like his wife! And he can explain and apologize profusely! And grovel! Yes, she conspired. There must be groveling…

She paraded righteously out of the bedroom, nevertheless looking bedraggled in her big baggy t-shirt and holey socks. In fact, the whole effect would have been quite comical to any casual observer. She stopped short in her tracks, for what she saw in her living room shocked her. Clearly what she was seeing must be a mirage.

Will sat there, on the futon, in his nice suit and tie. His hair was nicely combed and put back, facial hair trimmed. He held yet another bouquet of flowers, this one even more extravagant than the previous three. In front of him on the coffee table were a large wrapped box and some chocolates.

"I…uh…" he stammered. "I heard that these are the things you should get the woman you love when you've been an ass. And I've been apparently been such a horrendous ass that I figured I should go with all three…" He sounded defeated, frustrated and annoyed all at once.

Elizabeth stared in disbelief. She was momentarily rendered speechless, her mouth hanging slightly ajar.

Ok, she thought. So there goes my defiant and righteous plan. She approached the gift and picked it up, ready to open it…She opened her mouth to speak, presumably to apologize and gush…

But then, she thought better of it. No! He was in the wrong! He still hasn't explained himself! She set the present back down on the table as though it were diseased and glared at it like she could maybe hurt its feeling or gain penance from it.

"I…" she started nervously at first, then regaining her confident and comically righteous character. "You explain yourself right now!"

"Explain….what?!"

"You…uh….you heard me!" She let out a small 'hmph!' and raised her hands to her hips, which briefly made Will smile.

"But, Elizabeth, I've tried and you haven't let me say…"

"Well, now's your chance!" she snapped, cutting Will off.

"Ok, well…" he started, waiting for a signal that she was seriously listening, but she just stood there, hands on her hips, head cocked to the side, lips pursed. "Remember on Christmas when Jack showed up and then left in a hurry?"

"Yeswhataboutit?" Elizabeth spat out, trying perhaps a little too hard to stay in character.

Will sighed and hid a smile, beginning to see through Elizabeth's little charade. "Well, he came over to give me "present". That present, was in fact, used pornography, no doubt from his extensive collection."

Elizabeth put all of her effort into remaining stone cold.

Will continued, "So, in order to keep you from seeing it, therefore keeping the peace between all of us, I shoved it under the seat. I figured I could get rid of it when you and your mum were out or something. But, alas, I forgot to do so. Then you found it."

Elizabeth continued to glare. "My DAD found it."

"Lizzie, you know I'm not into that kind of thing. And I know how you feel about it."

"ThenhowdoIfeelaboutit?!?!"

Will couldn't hold it in any longer. He had to laugh at his wife and how cute she was when she feigned self-righteous anger. "I believe you feel that it is unnecessary and offensive objectification of women and it makes you feel cheap and less like my wife."

Elizabeth's lips quivered and broke into a grin. "And?"

"And," said Will, "I'm sorry. For what it's worth."

"Damn it, I can't stay mad at you!" Elizabeth exclaimed, sitting down on Will's lap.

"Why would you want to?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her, laying them on her belly. "I love you."

"I love you, too," she said, nuzzling her face in between his neck and shoulder.

"Now that that's settled, why don't you open your present and go get ready and let's find out if we have a little girl or little boy in here," he said, rubbing her belly.

"Settled?!" She shot up to her feet. "I think not! You still haven't groveled yet!"

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Elizabeth buckled herself into the car, and immediately the baby kicked at the seat belt. She smiled at her belly; this had become her child's habit and she sincerely hoped that her or she would be fonder of seat belts once out of the womb. She smiled down at her child, then at Will who was in the driver's seat.

"Ready?" he asked.

"I was ready for this part when we found out I was pregnant!"

He smiled adoringly at her and put the car in drive. They navigated a now somewhat familiar path through the streets of London, for a moment each lost in their own little baby-filled worlds.

"Have you thought about names?" Elizabeth asked out of nowhere.

"Names?"

"For the baby?"

"Oh, of course, I mean…not really. Sorry." Will said quietly.

"Not even a little bit?"

"Well, I mean, we don't even know if it's a boy or girl, and I'm mainly just concerned…"

"You don't always have to be so serious!" Elizabeth cut him off. "You can think about nice and happy things like names!"

"Well, I assume you've dreamed some up. I'd like to hear them," he said positively.

"Ok then! For a girl, I like Natalie and Audrey and Eliza. Oh! Also, Amy and Madeleine."

Will laughed. "And for a boy?"

"Um, I like Aaron and Adrian and Scott. I actually also like Cole. And Joshua." She paused. "So what do you think? Have you thought of anything?"

"Well…" Will honestly could call his child Optimus Prime and be ok with that as long as the child was healthy and happy and well taken care of, a task he was still unsure he was capable of.

"You hate them all, don't you?"

"No, no! Nothing like that! I…uh…just…" He sighed. "I really like Madeleine. That's my first choice for a girl, then Audrey."

"Audrey Turner sounds like a movie star!"

Will laughed. "Are you sure you're not thinking of another movie star? Anyway, for a boy, I also like Cole. Unusual name, but we certainly don't need a third William Turner running around."

Elizabeth smiled. "So have I jump-started your imagination?"

Will had only really considered one possibility for a name, and it was for a girl: Katherine. It was his mother's name. It was also old-fashioned and plain and he assumed Elizabeth wouldn't like it or be ok with naming the baby after one of his parents, versus one of hers.

"I don't know," he said. "I really like your selections. And I'll be able to think more clearly once I know the sex," he reassured her. Perhaps he wouldn't have to grapple with his decision on whether to bring up his mother's name. He certainly would not name his son Katherine. And he had a strange feeling it was a boy.

She smiled as Will maneuvered the car into a parking space. The joined hands as they walked into the office. Will, despite accompanying her on another visit after their first, was still a little afraid of the waiting room and stayed close to Elizabeth as they checked in and sat down. Elizabeth was beaming and could barely sit still from the excitement and despite his constant nerves, Will couldn't help absorb some of her evident enthusiasm.

After what seemed like hours, their name was finally called and they were escorted to an exam room in the back of the office. The receptionist left Elizabeth with her requisite scratchy hospital gown and she began to undress self-consciously. When she had undressed, right before she pulled on her gown, Will said, "You're beautiful."

Elizabeth looked up at him with the gown clutched to her chest. "Wha?"

"You're so…" He walked over to her and put his hand around her waist and kissed her hard.

She broke the kiss "William! In case you hadn't noticed, this is not our bedroom, this is…public…and I am not wearing any clothes!"

"Exactly." Will moved his hand down her back. "This is a private doctor's office, my dear." He kissed her again. "And if the last two times I was here with you are any indication, we have time." One of hands had wandered down to her thigh, the other was inching dangerously near one of her breasts. She had instinctively dropped her gown and pushed herself up against Will.

"Well, all right," she purred. "But only if we're quick about it."

He smiled into the kiss. He could feel himself getting hard. This wasn't like him. This was not something he'd normally even consider. But to feel happy and excited after only feeling overwhelming stress for a while? To be touching his wife, who was carrying his child!, after their little fight…He was relieved and happy and excited. He had just gotten in another commission this week, a big one that would hopefully allow them to afford nice things for the baby, And now he'd know if he had a daughter or son to look forward to.

Her hands traveled to his belt buckle and undid it hastily and clumsily, pulling the fly down and pushing his jeans down to his ankles, leaving him standing there in his t-shirt and boxers, jeans gathered around his ankles. His hands were on her breasts and teasing her and she wasted no time in teasing him back, snaking her hands down the front of his boxers. He responded by lavishing her breasts with even more attention, touching them, kissing them…

Then, the door clicked open and there stood Dr. Steele and his small, obviously embarrassed ultrasound technician, who promptly ran back down the hall.

Will and Elizabeth were totally unaware until Dr. Steele opened his mouth to speak.

"Well," said Dr. Steele said, clearing his throat. "I guess we can skip the breast exam."

Will and Elizabeth jumped apart. Elizabeth dived to the floor for her gown and flung it over herself. This caused Will to lose his balance, especially since his pants were still gathered around his ankles. Therefore, he went flying forward, but managed to regain his footing only to stand up face to face with Dr. Steele. Despite his obvious embarrassment on his own behalf and that of Elizabeth, he felt a little ripple of man-pride that he had…well, done what he had done in this hot, young American doctor's exam room. That thought, however, passed quickly and he went almost immediately back to being completely discomfited.

Dr. Steele glanced at Elizabeth, still cowering behind the exam table. "Tell ya what," he said, almost laughing. "I'm going to close this door and come back in a couple minutes, ok? I need to go find Lucinda anyway. She seemed somewhat…what is it you say here? Gobsmacked."

"Erm…uh…yes," was all Will managed to get out before Dr. Steele left. Will was also feeling somewhat gobsmacked. He pivoted around and tripped as he tried to get to Elizabeth, falling, as though in slow motion, into a heap on the floor. Elizabeth burst out laughing, stood up and pulled her gown on. She went to his side and offered a hand to help him; both were red-faced and laughing so hard they were crying.

"Well, that was certainly interesting." Will said. "Lizzie, I'm s-"

"William, if we're going to do things like this, we should practice for speed at home first." She winked.

Just then the door re-opened and Dr. Steele and a still red-faced Lucinda the Ultrasound Technician walked in. Everyone was clearly trying his or her best to ignore what had just happened. Dr. Steele did his requisite exams first, without saying much, proclaiming Elizabeth healthy soon after.

Then, it was the moment everyone had waited for. Elizabeth sat up with her belly exposed, Will clutching one hand with his other arm around her shoulder and Lucinda, who was still having trouble meeting anyone's eyes, squirted a funny blue goo onto her belly.

"God, that's cold!" Elizabeth exclaimed without even realizing it.

Lucinda smiled and muttered, "The ultrasound will warm it up, dear."

Lucinda gently applied the ultrasound probe to Elizabeth's belly and made little circles in the gel. Soon enough, there was an image and that beautiful heartbeat sound again.

"Well, that leaves very little to the imagination," Dr. Steele concluded. Lucinda blushed.

"Wha…what exactly do you mean?" Will said.

"Your…baby." Dr. Steele chose his words carefully. "…IT is, well, giving us a…how should I put this…full frontal. Facing the ultrasound machine."

"Erm…is…it…" Elizabeth could barely speak she was so excited.

"I take it you've chosen to find out the sex today?" Dr. Steele asked coyly.

"YES!" Will and Elizabeth said in unison.

"Mr. and Mrs. Turner?" Dr. Steele loved to take his sweet time with patients, make them squirm a little bit. Which was certainly not hard after today's happenings.

"Well! Get on with it!" Will urged.

"It's a girl! A healthy, decidedly female child." Dr. Steele smiled.

Elizabeth broke out into a grin, tears running down her cheeks. "Did you hear that, Will?! A girl! We're having a girl!" Immediately, she thought of everything she would teach her little daughter. All the significant moments they would have, All of the cute little ruffled jumpers right on up to the wedding gown she may someday wear…

Will just nodded. He was too overcome with emotion to speak. He held her, also unable to control his tears. A daughter! he thought. I'm going to have a little girl. Who, hopefully, will be exactly the spitfire her mother is. Oh god, he thought, she could be just like her mother. She is not dating until she's thirty.

Lucinda and Dr. Steele shook the couple's hands and Lucinda offered them pictures of their (seemingly immodest) little daughter to show friends and family. With that, the couple was off on their way: at home in their own little bubble, basking in the glow of their happy news.

"You know what?" Will asked.

"What's that?"

"I'd like to take you out. If you'll come with me…"

Elizabeth laughed. "Are you asking me out, like, on a date, Mr. Turner?"

"I believe I am, Mrs. Turner." He grabbed her hand. "Where to, love? I have the world on a string, the most beautiful wife and daughter I could possibly have and an unusually sympathetic bank account."

"I think we should go back to…"

"I know exactly what you're thinking and that is where we shall go!" Will beamed.

"Will, we're having a daughter. We….we created a little girl. We…"

Will stopped and turned to her, kissing her forehead. "I know," was all he said before putting his arm around her shoulder and walking into the city with her.

----------------------------------------------------

It was getting late in the afternoon and the moon coming into view over the city made the ice and thin layer of snow sparkle like the city lights. As the sun slung low in the sky, it was getting colder, too. Will pulled Elizabeth to him, even as they walked, eager to keep her and their daughter (their daughter!) near. At various points, she would pull away and take out the ultrasound pictures just to see them.

They finally reached their destination, still laughing and kissing and poring over their first "baby pictures". To anyone else, it just looked like a standard ultrasound of a healthy baby. To Will and Elizabeth it looked like the most incredible thing they had ever seen.

They reached their destination; a trendy, eclectic little bistro, the Magnolia Café. The décor was simultaneously homey and warm AND edgy and contemporary. It was quite small and on weekends, it was a well-known fact that it was hard to get in. That, coupled with the incredible food, was why Will had chosen this spot 4 years ago to take Elizabeth on their first date. He knew the right people to ask for a table and they got in right away that night. He remembered fondly that Elizabeth was in fact awed by his magical table-getting abilities and he remembered thinking: take that, Weatherby. Take that, Norrington.

And here they were again. They didn't come this way very often and Will generally tried to avoid pricey little bistros in Central London. But tonight, there was nowhere more perfect.

The tiny restaurant was still nearly empty when they walked in the door, the heat from the old-fashioned radiators hitting them square in the chest. A smiling hostess guided them to a table. Elizabeth smiled up at Will as they walked to a candlelit table in the corner near the foggy window and he put his hand on the small of her back. He pulled out her chair for her ad she carefully unbuttoned her coat; the baby was getting so big that her coat barely buttoned anymore.

They sat. The hostess smiled. "Can I get you two something to drink? Some wine perhaps?"

Elizabeth laughed and patted her belly. "No, thanks. No wine for me for a while yet."

The hostess looked slightly embarrassed.

"Will, why don't you get some? The doctor said a little wine once in a while is safe…I'll have a sip or two."

Will wasn't a huge wine drinker, but it seemed romantic enough. Of course, not being a wine drinker, he had no idea what to order.

"What would you like a sip of then?"

The hostess now looked slightly annoyed.

"Um, whatever your house red is, thanks," Elizabeth said.

The hostess nodded and disappeared.

"Elizabeth, thank you," Will finally said when they were alone.

"Thank you? For what exactly?!"

"Just…being you. Carrying our..our daughter."

"That's never going to get old, is it?"

Will smiled and put his hand over hers. "Not ever. Not until the day I die."

She flipped her hand, intertwining her fingers with his, just enjoying his company.

The menu itself was intimidating in how amazing and how…fancy…everything sounded. She remembered being impressed the first time they came here that Will could hold his culinary own against the lengthy gourmet descriptions. She had been brought up with phrases like "white wine reduction" but assumed he hadn't. Then again, he found ways to surprise her to this day.

Ultimately, Elizabeth ordered a prosciutto salad with shaved fennel, tangerines, Parmesan and balsamic syrup and Will opted for grilled salmon with curry-tomato coulis. They chatted happily throughout dinner, both for once focused on the bright future ahead of them, the excitement of being new parents, of all the things they could do and see with their daughter. They ordered ice-cream for dessert, something they normally did not indulge in very often. But Magnolia made its own and in very unique flavors. And no one in their right mind denies a pregnant woman ice cream.

They finished and left, walking down a narrow old city street lined with lingering holiday decorations and old-fashioned lampposts. A few wet snowflakes were falling around them.

"You know, the next thing we need to do is find a bigger flat," Elizabeth thought aloud.

"Yeah, I suppose we do. Probably don't need to look until a couple months before we move…"

"Will, we should look into buying. Especially since you have that Boeing commission…"

"Yeah…" That was a big step. But she had a point. This commission was big in itself, but also prestigious. If he succeeded at this, there would be more where it came from… "You know, the loft above my studio is going on the market…I'm sure it wouldn't take mch to convert it…and there's a lot of space…"

Elizabeth grinned. "That would be…perfect. Oh, Will!"

This is what he always wanted. To give her her very own home.

"I had a thought," Elizabeth said, "and you can tell me if this bothers you and/or is a totally stupid idea."

"Mmmkay…"

"Will, I'd like to name the baby Katherine."

"That's…that was my mother's name." He stopped walking and stared at her.

"I know." She turned away from him, muttering, "I just thought…maybe it was a bad idea. I didn't mean to upset you."

Will looked at Elizabeth, more in love with her than he had ever been. Ever. "Elizabeth…" His words were all caught in his throat, something Elizabeth had been able to cause since they were children. He just pulled her close and kissed her. Right there on the street corner.

When the kiss broke, he raised his hand to her belly. "Hello there, Katherine," he said, smiling.

She smiled back and put her hand over his. "Now let's get home before we all freeze!"

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Will unlocked the door to their flat and they walked in, still overwhelmed, tired and happy beyond belief. Elizabeth flopped down on the futon.

"You didn't open your present this morning," Will pointed out, smiling.

Elizabeth grinned and shook the box.

"Seriously. Just open it."

Elizabeth tore into the package. It was a box filled with all of her favorite bath fizzies and bubbles and melts, the ones she had been unable to enjoy (much to her dismay) earlier in the pregnancy. She grinned and stuck her head into the box and took a deep breath in.

She looked up at her husband. "Will, you didn't need to…"

"Yes I did. Do you like them?"

"Of course I like them! I love them! In fact, I am going to get in the tub right now. Is that ok?"

"Absolutely. Go relax. I'm just going to go check the messages."

Elizabeth and her box of bath-goodness walked off into the master bath. Will heard the water start and walked into the kitchen to get the messages from their machine.

The day had just been perfect. Beyond perfect, and he couldn't ask for more. He landed that huge commission which was sure to help them skate financially for a while, was forgiven for his little predicament, found out that he had a beautiful daughter on the way and spent a wonderful evening with his wife. Not a single thing could break his high.

The first message started. "Mr. Turner, this is Philip Rothman at CityArts London. We were the ones who took your proposal and helped secure your commission for Boeing's new London headquarters. Unfortunately, they have revoked funding for the project and will be unable to follow through with the commission. I'm terribly sorry, but we'd be willing to hear other proposals at this time…"

Will froze. Ok, maybe there was one thing. He NEEDED THAT! It was UNFAIR! Boeing had so much money…what did they MEAN they couldn't afford the commission?! What do they know about not being able afford things!?!

He punched the wall beside the phone.

"Will!? What's wrong?!" Elizabeth yelled from the bathtub. "I heard a loud noise!"

How would he explain this to her? How would he explain that he couldn't give her her nice home? Her fancy baby things? Against his better judgement…

"Uh…nothing! Just stubbed my toe!"

He'd find a way to tell her later, he swore to himself, devastated. Why can't these things just be easy?...He sat down on the couch, staring blankly at the television set, his perfect day crashing down around him. He was trying to remember the advice his father gave him.


	11. Chapter 11

Again, I don't claim ownership of recognizable characters. Just don't tell my overactive imagination that. Now, consider yourselves disclaimed.

So, I'm not sure if this will go on for 2 or 3 more chapters. What I do know is that they, like this one, will be LOOOONNG.

But! My birthday is on Saturday! Yay! I'll be 22 and there's nothing particularly special about being 22, but it is, as unacymbal pointed out to me, a palindrome, which won't happen again until I'm 33. And I get to spend my birthday on a boat in the Caribs, so no updates for at least 10 days. Sorry!

To my gabbly girls, as always.

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Chapter 11

ALMOST 3 MONTHS LATER (Liz is 30 weeks along/Due Date is 10 weeks away.)

Spring arrived in London, and not a moment too soon. The cold, wet foggy gray days were giving way to warmer, less foggy, but still wet days. Occasionally, the capital was bathed in glorious warm sunshine, giving locals a taste of upcoming summer.

Only to have their hopes dashed when the rain and cool winds came right back the next day.

Despite being native to the area and knowing full well that late March in London was about as predictable as their friend Jack, Will and Elizabeth had both allowed the weather to put them in a foul mood. It was only about 10C/50F, tops, and raining persistently. Normally, this wouldn't have been such a drain on their moods, but normally, they were not scrambling to find a flat to move into within the next month.

For the most part, they had remained tense and silent for the afternoon. Actually, Elizabeth was tense and silent. Will tried nervously to make conversation, talking about whatever came to his mind, essentially chattering to himself as Elizabeth looked away in a huff. He was quite aware of her hatred for all things moving-related, so he had taken the liberty of doing all of the leg-work: looking up available flats online, making viewing appointments, drawing little maps…

When she had asked, he told her simply that the loft above his studio wasn't going to work out. She had SEEMED only mildly upset by that and hardly pushed the issue further, retreating back into the little world she'd been inhabiting lately. Hell, he still hadn't told her about the Boeing commission being gone. He had picked up a handful of minor jobs since then and was cutting corners as best he could; skipping lunch, using the projects he had created for self satisfaction as scrap…it wouldn't amount to what the Boeing project would have, but at least he'd have something. It really would have been perfect, that loft. He could have done so much with that space, making it theirs. They may have even had enough room for a third or fourth bedroom. For when their little family grew again.

Elizabeth was getting so big, so fast. The baby was moving a little less lately, though still kicking like she was going to be the next Mia Hamm. While Will didn't really know what he was doing (there was, he was sad to find out, no father-to-be instruction manual), he thought Elizabeth was, without a doubt, at her most beautiful. The cravings had started in earnest in the past few months and there had been nothing too crazy and they had generally happened at normal hours, so he was thankful for that. It had been cheese, mostly, that she wanted. And omelets, which thankfully he had a knack for making. So, he kept a good supply of eggs on hand at all times and went to a little deli to buy every kind of cheese they carried periodically. Little things like a sore back and swollen hands and ankles had also started to become more common, so he found himself drawing bubble baths for her almost nightly. She had to stop wearing her wedding band, which she was quite self-conscious about, and was back to feeling ill occasionally. They were now seeing Dr. Steele every 2 weeks, and he had always proclaimed both mother and baby healthy. No reason to expect anything out of the ordinary, he had said at their last check-up. Will accompanied her each time, holding her hand as she was examined.

Despite the excitement and relative ease of the pregnancy, it was hard for Will not to notice a bit of distance growing between them in the past couple weeks. They were of course talking and doing husband and wife things like cooking meals, keeping house, even making love occasionally, but really communicating…no. She'd come home from work and read her baby books and talk on baby forums and spout ideas and precautions and interesting fact to Will, who genuinely tried to care, WANTED to care, what strollers had the best crash test ratings and what protein shakes were best for losing baby weight and how there is a big dispute over when to stop breastfeeding, but he…it wasn't that he didn't care. It wasn't that. He was just so damn scared, especially after losing that commission. Scared that there wouldn't be money for a flat, much less a stroller with anti-lock brakes and a rear spoiler. Scared that he'd make a terrible father. He was already in his own mind a terrible husband, though he didn't know why.

They were in Hackney, near where his studio was. His studio was in Canary Wharf; the more up-and-coming part of the borough. They, however, could not afford Canary Wharf or Victoria Park or any of the nicer parts of the "changing" borough. They could afford the dodgy parts.

"Are you sure you're ok?" Will asked.

"Yes, I'm quite fine. And even if I were not, where do you expect for us to live? At my parents'?" Elizabeth quipped.

Will was silent. A few moments later, he asked again.

"It's just that you're…"

"Seven months pregnant? Yes, I noticed that, thank you."

"I was just asking…"

Elizabeth kept walking, quickly as she could, her free hand clutching pieces of paper that now hung limply, soaked and bleeding; her other hand clutching an umbrella that periodically blew inside out. Will had decided it was a good idea to use Craigslist to find a place and go it alone, rather than hiring one of the multitude of apartment finding services in the city. So now, they were hoofing it through a borough that whoever designed the Tube had neglected to put a stop in. Young men in baggy pants hung out at street corners and eyed Elizabeth, in her sleek jacket and hip clothing, quizzically. Will almost had to run to keep up with her.

"Ah," she said unenthusiastically, stopping in front of a dilapidated little 3-flat walk-up with aging art deco windows and chipping paint on the door. "Here we are."

Will looked at his little map to verify before looking up. "Indeed."

A squat, sweaty little man was standing near the curb, waiting to let them in. "Are you…" Will asked.

The round little man grunted and muttered something in what Will identified as Polish, motioning for them to follow him. They did, and entered the vestibule, also aging art deco, sparse with rusting railings leading up the stairs. They began to climb the stairs, Elizabeth pausing to regroup at every landing. When they finally reached the top floor, the fat little Polish man opened a door and motioned for them to go in.

The place had obviously once been quite nice, but had fallen into disrepair. The kitchen was small and cramped with again appliances. All of the once-beautiful woodwork had been painted over so many times that the windows refused to open and the doors refused to close all the way. The sink and tub in the bathroom had black rings of mold on them.

Elizabeth and Will walked around quietly for a few minutes. The floor actually sloped in places in addition to creaking loudly. Elizabeth glowered at Will, indicating that it was time to leave. The thanked the man, who simply grunted and locked the door behind them.

Elizabeth was the first to break the silence. "So, I think we've seen every flat in London that we DON'T want."

"I'm…I'm sorry," was all Will said.

The rain had stopped. They walked again in silence, Elizabeth's arms wrapped around her large belly. The young men gathered on each corner were yelling and whooping, turning their attention to her as she walked past.

"Hey! Hey snowbird!" they yelled at her, cat calling. She turned her head down towards the ground and walked faster.

They walked and walked, wordlessly, until they were finally approaching Victoria Park, which was very slightly coming in to bloom.

Will ran to try and catch up once again. "Lizzie! Elizabeth!" He caught up to her and grabbed her arm, which she yanked back. "What?" he asked. "What's wrong?"

"I just…where are we going to live, huh? Do I need to worry about myself or Katherine getting jumped?!" She shook her head. "Honestly, Will, if your only problems are with money, then you don't have any problems."

So easy for you to say, he thought. "I'm just…I'm trying the best I can, Elizabeth."

She just glared, walking away again.

"Elizabeth! Where are you-" He felt something very odd and uncommon creeping up. He caught up to her again. "Listen to me. Listen."

She stopped and turned to him.

"What?" she asked, flatly.

"I have been working my ass off. I have done all of the work in trying to find us a new place, while you sit there and nod politely, placating me while you look at your baby wotsit on the computer. I have found all of the ads and made all of the phone calls. You, on the other hand, have not helped or told me what you want or need, therefore expecting me to read your mind, which is something I can unfortunately not do." There. He said it. He couldn't believe he was allowing himself to get frustrated with his very pregnant wife, but he was.

She just turned and walked away, and Will let her have some space. She had nothing to say and she knew that a lot of this was her own damn fault. She really had been talking to him, really, but she hadn't been saying much. She just let all of her fears simmer, maintaining that she should just trust Will and whatever he had planned. The truth was, communication trumps blind trust in marriage. Trust, genuine trust, came from communicating well.

She looked around at the park, which was wildly familiar territory for her. She remembered coming here for dates with Will: picnics and all that. She remembered that one of the happiest and most significant moments of her life had taken place here, in stark contrast to what had happened here today.

------------------------------------------

2 YEARS AGO

The evening had gone perfectly so far. Will was such a hopeless romantic, which was one of the things she absolutely adored about him, though brooding often accompanies romance. Hell, she even liked the brooding. She liked everything about him.

They had been together for 2 years now. It was an unspoken truth between them that they would spend the rest of their lives together, a romantic and idealistic thought that had never really been discussed seriously between them. Elizabeth was patient, though. She knew that he wasn't going anywhere. She knew that she wasn't, either. She loved the things she hated about him, just because they made him Will. That realization was what made her realize he was the ONE.

They had dinner in a vacant loft above Will's studio of all places. He shared a flat with Jack at the time, particleboard furniture and all. The way he had explained it to Elizabeth was this: if he wanted the evening to go well, and he did, he was going to need to find a room with a lock that Jack didn't have the key to. He added that no, he didn't mean it like that.

Will had erected a little card table in the middle of the huge open room and lit the room with candles of varying shapes and sizes. There were two empty wine glasses sitting on the table, and a bucket with a bottle of chilled champagne.

Elizabeth sat down at the table and Will poured her a glass of bubbly. Then, he disappeared behind a wall.

"Will?" Was he cooking? she asked herself. Had he ever cooked for her before? It certainly smelled good in here…

"Erm, just stay in there! I'll be right out!"

Moments later, he emerged with 2 plates. So, she thought, there apparently was a kitchen of some sort back there. She looked at the plate and back at Will.

"Ahi tuna. Marinated in balsamic vinegar and olive oil and rubbed with pepper and seared rare. And those are garlic mashed potatoes. And that…that's just asparagus."

"Will…I…." Elizabeth stared at the brilliantly presented food in disbelief.

"I wanted it to be perfect," he said sincerely.

"It…this is beyond perfect. And you know it." Elizabeth was absolutely amazed by him. "When did you learn how to cook?"

"Uh, just, you know, growing up. My mum…"

Elizabeth never really pushed the subject of his mother. Therefore, she knew very little about her. Will didn't volunteer a whole lot of information about her. She had passed away when he was 12. She had cancer. End of story. "Will, it's ok if you…"

"She was a chef. She worked in a restaurant. A nice one." He paused. "So, I've tried to learn something, keep the tradition alive…"

She smiled. This was a big step for him to bring up something like his mum, which Elizabeth could tell still pained him, half a life later, to talk about.

"Will, this is…thank you. To the two best years of my life." She raised her glass.

"To the rest of our lives," he responded, clinking his glass with hers.

They began to eat, chatting quietly about anything and everything. As they finished, Will got up to wash their dishes and clean up around the loft.

Elizabeth also rose from her chair and walked around. "What is this place?" she asked him.

"Oh, it's just…the building owner owns it and can't really figure out to do with it, since it won't work as office space but it also doesn't really work as a flat either…not that anyone would really want to live on the top floor of a block of offices."

"I think it's beautiful," Elizabeth said, running her hands over the exposed brick. "But how hard would it be to build some walls? There's already a bathroom and kitchen…"

"Not impossible…you'd have to frame them, so you'd need to rip up some of the floor, but…" he said, walking out of the kitchen and surveying the cavernous space.

"We could live here, Will!" she said, kind of twirling or dancing around the space. "This could be our first home together!"

He smiled at her before going into the kitchen. He checked his watch. Right on time. He checked his pocket. It was still there. "'Lizabeth?"

"Mmhm?"

"Let's go to the park. It's beautiful outside and…"

"All right!"

It was still a little light out and gorgeous summer night. They walked hand in hand through the park, lost in each other, talking about whatever came to mind.

They sat on a bench and Elizabeth snuggled her head up against Will's chest. He put his arm around her, and they watched the world go by.

A small boy and his puppy played together right in front of them. Will smiled.

"See that?" Will pointed at the puppy chasing its own tail. "That's what I want to come back as."

"A puppy?" Elizabeth laughed. "I thought you said you didn't need anyone. You'll come back as a cat."

"I need you," he said plainly.

"Well, then," she said, curling up against him. "Maybe I'll come back as catnip."

He hugged her close for a moment, then took his arms out from behind her, digging for something in his pocket. He stood up.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

Will dropped to one knee in front of her. "Elizabeth?" His heart was banging against his ribcage.

Elizabeth's eyes were like saucers. "…yes?"

"I don't have a particularly poetic command of the English language, so I don't know what to say other than that I love you, I've always loved you and I always will love you. More than anything. Will you marry me?"

He took a white gold ring out of the little velvet pouch he had been holding in his pocket all night. It was modest, but he made it himself with nothing but love for his Elizabeth.

"Yes…y-yes, of course!" She smiled widely and threw her arms around him and he stood up, spinning her around. The whole world could have stopped…

---------------------------------

PRESENT DAY

…and suddenly, it felt like it had. She doubled over in pain. She felt like she had been punched in the stomach, hard, with a baseball bat. Wincing and groaning, she clutched her belly.

Will, who had been watching her from a few meters away, sprinted over, bridging the space between them in mere seconds. Oh god, he thought. Please let her be ok. Oh god, oh god…"Elizabeth! Look at me!"

It took great effort to do so, but she did, her eyes wet and red with tears. She relaxed.

"W-what was that?" he asked.

She shook her head. Then it hit her again. She fell down against the bench in pain. "Are you…Lizzie? Are you ok?"

She just sobbed and curled up into the fetal position, her arms around her belly.

Will huddled himself up next to her so she wouldn't fall off the bench. He grabbed his mobile and banged Dr. Steele's number out. It began to ring.

"Dr. Steele's office, this is-"

"I need to speak with the doctor! It's an emergency!"

"Who am I speaking to?" the receptionist asked dully.

"This is Will Turner. Please, it's my wife. She's pregnant and-"

"Let me see if he's available. Hold please"

Will was screaming inside. What if this is something where seconds could make the difference? I don't want to hold! he thought. I want help! He just crouched there, next to Elizabeth, his arms around her, trying to calm her down. Trying to fix her. He wondered if he should have called an ambulance instead.

"Mr. Turner?" came a voice from the phone.

"Yes? Dr. Steele?"

"Yes, what seems to be the problem?"

"It's Elizabeth, she…she's in pain. Doubled over. I just… I don't…"

"Can I talk to her?"

"You can try." He turned to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth? I need for you to talk to Dr. Steele and tell him…what hurts."

She nodded and Will held the phone up to her ear.

"It's like cramps, but worse," she mumbled. "Mmhm, they come and go. Every few minutes." She furrowed her brow. "I guess, yes."

She handed the phone back to Will. "Will? Are you close to your car?"

"Yes…"

"I'm going to need you to take Elizabeth to King's College Hospital. Denmark Hill. Can you get there?"

"Yes." He was already picking Elizabeth up off of the bench, carrying her towards the car. He watched the cabs whiz by and had a thought…

"Will? You still there?"

"Yes…"

"I need you to make sure she gets some water down and make sure she lays on her left side in the car. Bring her into obstetrics. I'll see you soon." Dr. Steele hung up.

Will hailed a cab and Elizabeth carefully got in. Will sat in the back left seat, Elizabeth laying on her left side across him. "King's College Hospital," Will said. "And make it fast."

The cabbie nodded. Somehow, the truly awful techno music London cabbies were known for only added to Will's nightmare.

The reached the hospital, and thankfully, Elizabeth was calm enough to walk in (with help) and sit up in a wheelchair. A nurse wheeled her off, telling Will to wait there and she'd be right with him. He just stood there, once again gobsmacked. Elizabeth turned and looked at him, worried. He tried to follow, but the older nurse brushed him off.

He just stood there. He had no idea what was going on. He didn't know if his wife and baby were ok. He didn't know what to do.

So, he called his dad, who was on his way. And as much as he knew he was going to hear all about what a bad person he was, he called Elizabeth's parents, too. They were also on their way.

Then he sat there, trying to do Sudoku puzzles of all things. Something about the systemic distribution of numbers was comforting. The "3" had to go in that one spot. It just wouldn't do to put it anywhere else. Why couldn't life be a little more like Sudoku? he thought. Why didn't things seem to fit and stay put?

Bill arrived first, then Mary and Weatherby. Bill sat close to his son, not saying anything. Weatherby and Mary sat across the waiting room, occasionally looking up from their private bubble to stare at Will. Mary was almost hysterical, and from what Will could surmise, she was positive her son-in-law had done something to cause this.

After what seemed like days, Dr. Steele appeared. "Mr. Turner?"

Will and Bill both turned.

"Will?" he corrected himself. "I need to talk to you privately."

Will got up and followed Dr. Steele. Mary and Weatherby following close behind.

"I'm sorry, but I only need to speak with Will." Dr. Steele said to Elizabeth's parents.

"But we're her parents!" Mary exclaimed.

"This only concerns Will. I'm sorry."

Relieved that Dr. Steele had done the dirty work for him, he followed Dr. Steele down the hall.

"How is she? The baby? Are they-"

"Will, everyone is fine, but she's going to need some extra care for the remainder of the pregnancy."

"Of course! Anything! Just tell me…"

"She's going to need to be on bedrest, 23 hours a day until further notice. She needs extra fluids each day. I'm also going to have someone teach you some massage techniques that will keep her muscles relaxed, to do twice a day. Can you handle that?"

"Absolutely! I mean…what happened?" Will asked desperately.

"She went into premature labor and her cervix was beginning to dilate." Dr. Steele looked away. "This could be for several reasons. She was slightly dehydrated, which can cause these symptoms. She was also underweight before becoming pregnant, which is a risk factor. Mainly, I'm concerned about the stress she's under. She said it happened right after you snapped at her?"

Will felt his heart drop into his stomach. "Yes."

"She also mentioned that you have her coming with you on apartment hunting trips? Mr. Turner, I'm very sorry, but she's not strong enough right now to do those things." He cleared his throat. "Right. I've prescribed terbutaline, which is a muscle relaxant and ibuprofen, which will prevent her uterus from contracting." He paused, stifling what seemed to be a laugh. "I'm also going to have to unfortunately ask that she refrain from sexual activity."

Will just nodded. He'd do anything to make her safe and healthy. Unfortunately, he hadn't been doing that too well on his own. He took the prescriptions from Dr. Steele and slowly turned, head hung, and took a few steps down the hall.

He jumped in surprise as suddenly, he almost ran into Weatherby.

"Erm, uh, sorry!" he said.

Weatherby only glared at him. As Will tried to step away, Weatherby moved to block his path.

"What the…you were listening weren't you?!" Will exclaimed.

Weatherby nodded coldly. "If you think that you can treat my little girl in this atrocious manner, when you should be devoting every ounce of your…being…to taking care of her, then you have another thing coming."

"MR. Swann, I can assure you that your daughter's best interests are my top priority and that this, while…awful…is no one's fault," Will said as evenly as he could.

"That's not what the doctor said," Weatherby snarled. "Tell me, if my daughter's best interests are all you think about, why were your plans to purchase the loft in Canary Wharf were abandoned? My Elizabeth, who was OVERJOYED to live there, tells me you forfeited that idea with little explanation."

Will just stood silently. Bill, sensing the tension even from down the hall, stood up and stepped cautiously towards his son.

"And now, this gallivanting through the rain and cold when Elizabeth is…as delicate as she is?" Weatherby huffed, taking a small sheet of paper out of his pocket and shoving it into Will's free hand. He lowered his voice to a growl. "I will not sit by and watch my little girl and my granddaughter go without."

Weatherby pushed past Will, leaving him not time to retort or explain. He felt mildly as though his soul had been sucked right out of his body over the course of the afternoon.

He lifted the paper in his hand, squinting through the tears he was fighting to make out what it was.

What it was shocked him. He realized he held a blank check signed by none other than Weatherby Swann. The memo line said "down payment." Will fumed. He couldn't possibly accept this help, he WOULD'NT accept this help. He would find away to do it on his own. Maybe.

A door behind him clicked open and a nurse appeared, wheeling Elizabeth towards him. She looked absolutely shell-shocked. He ran to her, dropping to his knees in front of her.

"Elizabeth, I…"

She cupped his face in her hands. "Will, no. Please. I'm so sorry…it was just so scary and-"

"Shhhh, it's ok. Let's get you home, shall we?" He gripped her hand as though hanging on for dear life. "Katherine is all right. You're all right. It's going to be all right."

----------------------------------------------

Will called for a cab to meet them in front of the hospital. It pulled up and Elizabeth climbed carefully in again, laying on her left side, her head in his lap. She said very little.

Will had momentarily forgotten about the car being in Hackney, but he'd just pick it up later. He needed to take Elizabeth home and make her comfortable, get her the things she needed. That was the least he could give her.

They reached their flat and he carried her up the stairs and over the threshold of the door. She smiled and said drowsily "'member the last time we did that?"

"Like it was yesterday," he whispered, kissing the top of her head. He placed her on the futon and flipped on the TV. "I'll be right back. I need to go get you some covers."

Will returned a moment later with the duvet and pillows from their bed. Elizabeth eyed him quizzically. "What are you going to sleep on?" she asked.

"The futon. With you. Of course." He smiled. "If you'll have me, that is."

She pulled him down to her level and kissed him. Passionately.

"Elizabeth-"

"No, Will. Don't apologize. I heard what Dr. Steele said to you." She sighed. "It's not your fault. You were…it was me. I haven't been putting anything into this marriage lately. I haven't told you anything, I haven't communicated to you just how terrified I am. Of everything. I have been short with you and I've been cagey and…I'm just sorry. I really am."

Will said nothing, just wrapped his arms around her, tightly. "We're going to make this better," he finally said. His heart was filling back up.

They sat in silence for a moment. If he was looking for the opportune moment to come clean about the Boeing commission, this was it. But he couldn't bring himself to. The thought still made him incredibly uncomfortable.

"What..uh...what can I get for you before I go to Boots to get your medicine?"

"Mmmm…can you bring back something to eat? I'm starving."

"Of course! What do you want? I'll bring you anything you can get in London."

"How about some McDonald's?"

"While that is terribly unlike you, your wish is my command." He kissed her hand.

"And make sure you bring back lots of fries."

"I will. Anything else?"

"No, I think that's good."

He kissed her again and grabbed his keys. He looked back at her, dreaming up ways he could make her happier and more comfortable. Perhaps he'd try to track down on of those body pillows. She'd like that. Then, another thought, a much more significant one, popped into his head.

As he was about to walk out the door, he paused. He took a pen out of his pocket, along with the check.

There was some semblance of truth in what Weatherby had said. He had to take care of his wife at any cost, including this. When things were better, if they ever got better, he'd pay his father-in-law back. He swore it. As much as it pained him to do so, he wrote his studio landlord's name on the cheque. Along with the amount.

He sighed, and looked back into the living room one more time to see his beautiful wife laying on the couch, engrossed in whatever was on the television.

And, he thought, she was worth it.


	12. Chapter 12

I have a tan, but I don't have ownership of these characters.

So, I'm back from the Caribs…just as lovely as it was in the movie, folks. And I'm sorry I'm so hard on Will, but unfortunately, things are going to get worse before they get better. Just thought I'd warn you that the next couple chapters (well, this one is only at the very end, actually) see a lot of trial and tribulation for Will and THEN, you'll all get your comeuppance. Trust me. The end is already partially written and….you'll love it. I promise. Just bear with me! Also, the song in here is specifically intended to make Karen cry. Mwaha, I am so evil. The hot dogs are dedicated to oh-you-pretty-things. She deserves a hot dog.

----------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 12

Will's eyes shot open.

It was that dream again. He had thankfully been spared, for the most part, from it for the past few weeks, but yesterday's events threw his fear of fatherhood back into sharp relief and when he was vulnerable, the dream was more likely to happen. How his brain could think up such horrible things, horrible ways to lose his wife and his daughter and sometimes even his own life, he was unsure.

He caught his breath and surveyed his surroundings. It was just the same flat he was used to, soft early morning light streaming in through the windows. The same futon, too, and Elizabeth. Oh god, Elizabeth. She was sleeping soundly, breathing evenly, her body nestled up against the body pillow he had stopped to get for her last night to keep her on her side as much as possible without her getting sore. He put his arm around her and held her tight.

She stirred. "Whhmmmp….Will?" she asked drowsily.

"I love you. Liz, I love you so-"

"I love you, too." She turned towards him and wiped the sleep from her eyes. "What's wrong? Are you ok?"

"Quite! I just…uh…I just love you. I was watching you sleep. Can I get you anything?"

She smiled and closed her eyes. "You had another nightmare, didn't you?" He had nightmares relatively often, particularly when something was bothering him. She had noticed this about him when they started sharing a bed, but he said they had been happening since his mom passed away. She felt so sorry for him. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," he said. "I mean, I'm fine. It was just a dream."

"I can't help but notice you've been having nightmares more often lately." She sat up.

Will gently pushed her back down. "You know what the doctor said, Elizabeth. I don't want anything to happen to you or Katherine."

"Don't change the subject. What's on your mind? Maybe I can make it better."

He kissed her forehead. "Lizzie, don't worry about me. It's…" Alas, another opportune moment to finally open up about the failed commission, the check, his overwhelming fears of failing as a father; in short, his steadily growing checklist of things that were bothering him. At least the porn incident was water under the bridge now. He looked at her, laying there. Would opening up prompt a repeat of yesterday? Would she be angry with him for being so weak and such a failure at his work? "It's…nothing. Just moving and being a new parent and the lot. It's silly, really."

She raised her hand to his face. "Will, honestly. You're going to be a wonderful father. You know that. I know that. You're already taking such good care of our little girl."

Will smiled and kissed her fingers.

Elizabeth continued, "In fact, I have a feeling she's going to be such a little daddy's girl. She'll have your eyes. You'll play dolls with her and walk her down the aisle at her wedding. And she will adore you from day one. And as for finding somewhere to live…"

Will seized up a little at the mention of their living situation. "Elizabeth, I-" He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry for dragging you about yesterday. I should have known better and I have no excuse."

"Will, it's ok, darling." She flipped over onto her back and looked up at him. "How was either of us supposed to know that would happen?"

"I just…I haven't been taking care of you lately-"

"William, don't be daft. You take excellent care of me. If anyone hasn't been taking care of the other…"

He put a finger to her lips and swallowed hard. "Elizabeth, I think we should buy the loft."

She grinned, and he had to put a hand on her shoulder to keep her from jumping up. She threw her arms around him awkwardly and pulled him down into an embrace. "Oh, Will! That's….that's the best news I've heard in weeks! What made you reconsider? Did some other buyer fall through?!"

Will smiled uneasily. "It's what we need right now. You need it, the baby needs it…so I had to do this. For my...my girls."

"And to think, you just got through telling me how you never take care of me! Will, this is-" she sighed happily. "This is just perfect. When will we-"

"I'm going to drop the down payment off today at some point. I'll bring back anything you need to sign and I can take it to the bank and have it notarized. Don't worry about anything."

"And what about…well…walls?"

"We'll use those plans we drew up years ago."

She remembered that. Sitting there, newly engaged, on the floor of Will's studio drawing up blueprints for their new fantasy home, complete with rooms for their future children. Of course, Will knew what he was doing to some degree and was well-connected with area architects and had clearly recently used that connection to make their old plans a new reality.

"Oh, Will. I just…thank you." She kissed him, hard. "This is…just…I love you. Do you know that?"

"Yes. I do." He kissed her neck. "I love you, too."

She grabbed for something on the coffee table. A magazine. No, a catalogue.

She flipped through the pages. "I have everything all picked out in case we found a place soon." She grinned. "Will, we only have 2 months left until we're parents."

That fact made him dizzy. In both a good and bad way. "Yes, well…I'll make sure the loft is ready with plenty of time…"

The phone rang. Elizabeth glanced at the caller ID: Sparrow, J.

"It's for you," she said, handing Will the phone.

Will looked at the caller ID and rolled his eyes. "I wonder what he wants at 9AM?" Will clicked the 'Talk' button. "Ello?"

"Will! It's Ana! I heard something about Liz…is she-"

"Ana? What are you doing at Jack's flat at 9AM?"

"Well, we sort of…"

Will chuckled. "Are back at it? No comment, Ana. I'll let Liz give you the what-for."

"Will, is she ok?"

Will sighed. "She is. She's on bed rest, possibly for the next 2 months, but she's ok."

"Is the baby…"

"Yes. She's fine, too."

Ana let out her breath. "Thank god. Can I speak with her?"

Will handed the phone to Elizabeth. "It's Ana," he said.

"Ana? What's she doing at…oh, the little…I'm going to kill her!" She took the phone. "Ana? You obviously have some explaining to do."

"No, YOU have some explaining to do, and besides, I told you this would happen. Liz, what happened? I heard from Jack, who heard from Bill and I didn't know what was going on…I was worried sick about you, so I had to call right away and-"

"I'm quite fine, Ana. Really. Please don't worry!"

"What happened, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, I went into labor."

"Labor? But you're not due until June!"

"Which is why it presented a problem. I-"

"Liz, I am coming over there right this second. And I'm bringing Jack. He'll want to see you."

"Oh!...Ok, then. Just give me some time to take a bath and get changed…"

"Right. Then we'll be over in an hour. And we'll bring breakfast."

"What was that all about," Will asked.

"Well, Ana, my best friend, just wanted to know what was wrong is all. Geez, spare me the inquisition," she said, playfully tousling Will's hair. "Ok," she said, bracing herself and swinging her feet to the floor. "I'm going to use my one hour out of bed to take a bath…"

Will stood up and before she knew it, Elizabeth, along with her 20 pounds of baby weight, were being carried to the bath.

---------------------------------------------------------

The doorbell rang, interrupting a perfect good kiss and belly massage. Will and Elizabeth looked at each other, confused at first, before both suddenly remembering that they were expecting visitors. Will jumped out of the bathtub first, sliding across the floor and pulling his boxers on in one fluid, yet extremely funny movement. He grabbed a towel and a pair of jeans before running out of the room.

"Um…" Elizabeth piped, "Are you perhaps forgetting something?"

Will stopped dead in his tracks. "Um…" he laughed. "Perhaps. I'm sorry!"

Elizabeth shook her head at him, smiling. "Just go let them in and I can…"

"No you don't! I'll be back to help you!" He walked into the bedroom, pulling on a t-shirt and tying one of his ratty old bandanas around his head as he disappeared into the living room.

Will showed Jack and Ana into the living room, taking the cinnamon buns and coffee they (and by "they", Will presumed "Ana") had brought and getting out some plates. He excused himself to the bathroom to help his wife.

Elizabeth was ready and emerged in record speed, walking slowly and clinging to Will's arm, who was begrudgingly letting her walk. He simply didn't want to take any chances. After Weatherby's latest assault and everything that happened yesterday…well, he would probably have trouble living with himself if the rest of the pregnancy was anything but uneventful.

The four friends chatted and munched on breakfast, all of them relieved that Elizabeth and Katherine were okay. They ultimately steered clear of discussing the most recent reunion of Jack and Ana.

Will looked at his watch. He would be cutting it close if he waited much longer to get over to Canary Wharf and he still needed to track down his car. "I'm sorry to cut this short, but I have an appointment I need to get to," he said apologetically. "Ana could you…"

"Absolutely, Will."

"I'll be fine! Geez, what I am? A two year old?" Elizabeth lamented.

"Lizzie," Will walked over to his wife and kissed her head. "I would feel so much better if Ana were here with you. Just in case you need to go back to the doctor or something. Please?"

Elizabeth pouted. "Okay, I suppose. Hey, while you're out would you mind going to the shop and ordering our crib and changing table? I've a list right here…"

He looked at Elizabeth and then at Jack who offered him a 'this is what happens when you don't use birth control' look. "Erm, yes, of course. Just tell me exactly where to go and what to say to the shop assistant…"

As though out of thin air, Elizabeth produced an amazingly specific list and handed it to him. "Maybe Jack should go with you, in case any of this is in stock and you need to carry it to the car or something."

"Me?!" said Jack. "I'd love to, but I'm afraid I have other plans today which I'd much rather do, including gauging my eyes out with a spoon and getting a root canal. So sorry!"

Will narrowed his eyes and smiled. "No, I think that's a great idea! I'll certainly take Jack along."

"Oh, surely, you wouldn't want me. I'm…uh…bad luck when it comes to infants. They hate me, the little devils…"

"Get in the car, Jack. You're driving," Will said, amused and walking towards the door.

------------------------------------------------

They pulled up in front of the shop, which was so creatively named 'The Baby Shop'.

"The Baby Shop, eh?" Jack mused. "Why didn't you and Liz just drop in here and pick one up? The pregnancy thing seems to be more trouble than it's worth…"

Will rolled his eyes. "Park the car, Jack."

"Oh, you just get out and I'll swing the car around and find a nice spot in the shade…"

Will glared at Jack. "Nice try, mate. And it's March. All we have is shade."

"I just…Oh, all right." Jack grudgingly parked the car, and Will got out and fed a few coins to the meter. They walked into the shop, Jack doing his best to hide behind Will, feigning terror of his belongings.

Will approached the desk, where a very prim looking woman was standing. She looked up at him. "Hello, I was wondering if I could place an order for a crib and changing table."

"Certainly," she said curtly. "What is the item number please?"

Will dug in his pocket for the list, producing it and rattling off the item number for the sales associate. As she looked it up on the computer, the silence was disturbed by a loud mechanical groan, then a crash.

"DON'T TOUCH IT! IT'S A DALEK!" Jack screamed, backing away from whatever he had broken.

"Oh dear god, Jack."

The sales associate looked up and, head held inhumanly high, marched over to Jack. "Excuse me, what exactly do you think you're doing?"

"It was…trying to kill me…"

The sales associate looked bored and rolled her eyes. "That's a diaper disposal system. I highly doubt it was trying to kill you. I'm sorry, but if there is any damage to the item, consider it sold."

"Geez. That's a Dalek and you're a…"

"I'm sorry, but I have no idea what you're talking about," the sales associate said, stone cold.

Will just leaned up against the counter, stifling a laugh and shaking his head. He had the best seat in the house.

"Good god woman! Have you never seen Doctor Who?!" Jack tutted. "I'm sorry," he imitated, "but if you've never seen Doctor Who, consider yourself not British."

The woman turned sharply and examined the machine. "Sir, unless I can fix this in the next few minutes, you'll have to pay for it."

Jack gawked. "I haven't got 100 quid to throw at you, despite that I would normally pay much more for my very own Dalek." Will was fighting laughter to the point of nearly crying. For once, Jack had gotten himself into trouble and not taken Will down with him. This was a glorious day.

"Let me finish up the sale with this nice gentleman and I'll attend to…you" she spat.

The woman placed Will's order and unfortunately none of it was in stock. He would have loved to come home and put the crib together for Elizabeth to see, not that she could do much with it as they were short one bedroom and she was supposed to be laying in bed anyway.

"Sir?" the woman called to Jack. "I'm going to need your information so I can bill you for this broken merchandise."

Jack looked hopefully at Will, who just shook his head and laughed. "You're going to have to take care of this yourself, mate."

"Oh, all right." Jack turned to the woman. "Can I at least take the Dalek home with me?"

The woman didn't laugh or smile. "Certainly, sir. It's…your broken merchandise."

As Jack stood at the counter giving the saleswoman his information, Will wandered around the store. He looked at all the stuffed teddy bears and pink elephants and blue tigers. He picked up a rattle. It was so tiny. Was Katherine really going to be that tiny? He could get 2 fingers around the handle of the rattle. Something this small is going to be depending on me, he thought. A little, tiny girl. My daughter. He ran his hands over the sample of the bedding he had just purchased for their nursery. It was soft and pastel, with little, colorful zoo animals jumping about. Wow, he thought. This is real. He felt dizzy again…

"Oooh," he heard Jack's voice break the silence in the shop as the saleswoman punched information into the computer. Jack picked something up off the display by the counter "A…what?! Breast pump?! That sounds dangerous." He paused. "Or kinky." Jack examined the apparatus, before discovering that it had buttons. "I wonder if I can pump…" He attached the pump to his nose and pushed the button.

The decidedly wrong button.

Instead of pumping Jack's…nose funk…the machine decided to spew out the sample formula it held. Only the output was on the back. Which faced the high-strung saleswoman.

Before Jack knew what he was doing, she was covered in formula.

She looked up at him with a look that could kill. Jack smiled widely. "Right then! Off we go!" He grabbed the broken and still plugged in diaper machine and pushed Will in the direction of the door. The saleswoman, tried to run after them, but the formula clouded her vision and she missed seeing the cord stretched across the floor. She fell forward in a fantastic display, yelling as the two men dated out the door.

"Erm, thank you for helping me!" Will yelled, before Jack pulled him out the door and shoved him into the car in one motion. Jack shoved the diaper machine in the back seat and got in the car, flooring it and causing his tired to screech.

Jack smiled. "Where to now, mate?"

---------------------------------------------------

Jack hung quietly around the landlord's office, careful to not touch anything or cause any commotion. Will was handed paper after paper, which he signed, initialed and dated.

Finally, Will handed over a large check, which Jack happened to catch a glimpse of.

"Well, I'll be damned," he muttered to himself.

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After checking in with Elizabeth and Ana, Will was persuaded to go to a pub with Jack. Elizabeth insisted that he needed to go out and not worry and that she and Ana were perfectly fine and having a great time together. They would order in and watch movies and chat.

So, they sat at the bar, a football match on the TV, a plate of fish and chips between them, each nursing a beer. Their third beer, actually, although Will was holding his liquor remarkably well.

"So," Jack broke the silence, "That was a pretty generous gift from Weatherby."

"Wait, what? Are you kidding me? He'd never give me a gift." Will took a deep sip from the pint in front of him. "He thinks I'm the devil incarnate."

"So, he gave you a large sum of money because he hates you?"

Will chuckled. "Basically." He paused. "Wait, who told you about that check?"

"Oh, I just noticed it. I imagine the missus is happy with that arrangement."

Will shook his head. "She doesn't know."

"So it's a surprise! I love surprises!"

"Well, not quite. I just…a lot has gone terribly wrong for me recently. So…yeah. That's basically it."

"Are you confiding in me, Mr. Turner?!" he gasped comically. "Hell hath frozen over!"

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm mostly just banking on the fact that you'll have three more pints and forget all this."

"Fair enough," Jack said. "But what about that big commission you won? Liz seemed pretty jazzed about that this morning."

Will swallowed and looked Jack square in the eyes. "I lost it. I'm not getting that money." Now that he said it, he felt a little better. Of course, he then realized who he had said it to and would now HAVE to shell out for at least three more pints to ensure the information wouldn't travel any further.

"God, Will. I'm sorry." The scariest thing is that Jack was completely sincere. No stupid comments, no sarcasm.

"And good ol' Weatherby made sure his little girl and granddaughter would be well taken care of, since god knows I can't do that." Will nodded solemnly. "That's basically my life right now. Oh, and the wife on bed rest thing."

"I'm sorry, mate. Drinks on me tonight!"

"Thanks, Jack." He took another sip of beer.

Just then, his mobile started to vibrate wildly on the bar. He glanced at the caller ID. It was Elizabeth's mobile.

"Jack, it's Elizabeth. On her mobile. I need to take this."

Jack nodded, distracted by the match on TV, his mouth full of fries.

"Elizabeth? Are you ok?" Will asked frantically.

"Of course I'm ok! Don't worry so much."

"But…why are you on your mobile? You scared me half to death, Lizzie! I thought for sure you were on your way to the hospital."

"Well, it was closer to me than the house phone, and as you know, I'm on bed rest."

"Where's Ana?"

"She fell asleep."

"Oh."

"Anyway, the reason I'm calling is this: we were watching Blues Brothers and I really, really want a hot dog."

"…Okay. No problem. I'll bring some home with me."

"A Chicago-style hot dog."

"Elizabeth, what the heck is a Chicago-style hot dog?"

"I don't know, but it looked really good."

"So, you want something and you have no idea what the ingredients are."

"Well, it had relish and tomatoes."

"Okay, well, that helps. Anything else?"

"I'm sure there is, but I don't know what it is. Where are you? Aren't you at some pub?"

"Well, yes."

"I'm sure you could ask someone there! Please, Will! I need it!"

"Are you sure you can't wait for me to get home, and then we'll look it up?"

"Will, I need it right now!"

Then she hung up, or the connection died, or something. The problem remained, however: he needed to know what was on a Chicago style hot dog, and he needed to know right now. He sighed. Well, this is mildly ridiculous, he thought. Although, this is what taking good care of her entails, right?

"Jack!"

Jack turned away from the match, startled. "Mate, Chelsea's getting their asses handed to them, and…"

"That's great," Will said flatly. "I need to know what's on a Chicago-style hot dog."

"A Chicago-style what?"

"Hot dog."

"Who wants to know?"

"Elizabeth."

"Well, google it," Jack said, still distracted by the match.

"Jack, in case you haven't noticed, we're in a pub." Will sighed. "Anyone here know what goes on a Chicago style hot dog?!"

Everyone in the pub turned to look at him. A few people laughed.

"I'll take that as a no." He turned to the barkeep. "And you? Can't you look it up?"

The bartender laughed. "What am I? The concierge?"

Will pondered the problem at hand for a second, then took out his mobile. Who would know the answer to this useless trivia question? He could call his dad, who didn't have internet anyway. He could call Weatherby and Mary, who would laugh at him. Jack was with him and Ana was with Elizabeth. He knew people in the U.S. He could call them. Well, if he had the money he'd call them. Actually, he thought, this is really not the best time to be worrying about money.

He flipped through his mobile, in which he had been storing the same phone book since he was about 16. He scrolled down and stopped on an entry. Teddy Knisley! She was not only in the U.S., she was in the Midwest! Without another thought, Will called her.

"mmmeeello?" a drowsy voice on the other end answered.

"Teddy?!"

"Who is this?"

"William Turner. We went to Interlochen together when we were…" he thought for a second…"16. How are you?"

"You want to go to Interlochen? I'm not in today, and you'll have to call the admissions office anyway." She paused. "And by the sound of it, you'll want to contact the international students office…"

"No, Teddy, it's William Turner. We WENT to Interlochen. In, oh god, 1998? The only two metal-smithing students?"

"Oh my god!" she seemed to recall instantly. "Will! How are ya?"

"I need to know what's in a Chicago style hot dog."

"You need to know right now?"

"My wife is 7 months pregnant."

"Oh my gosh, congratulations! And I understand. Let's see…you start with a poppy seed bun, steamed. Then, you need yellow mustard, which you spread on the bun WITH A SPOON. The spoon is essential. Then, you need a Vienna Beef hot dog. Only Vienna Beef will do if you're a purist. You boil that. Then, you add your sweet pickle relish and your onions, then your sport peppers, which are called piquant peppers if you're not in Chicago. Then, you put a few tomato slices, and finally a pickle. Oh, and celery salt. You absolutely cannot forget the celery salt."

"Teddy, thank you. That is exactly what I needed to know."

"Anytime. Hey, email me sometime. I'd love to catch up. I'm going to expect pictures of your new son or daughter!"

"Daughter."

"Awwww, congrats!"

"Anyway, I'm going to run to the market. I need to gather all of this. Not to mention that this call is going to cost me hundreds."

"Just as an aside, you'll probably need to go to a deli for the peppers."

"Thanks for the tip. And, I will email you sometime."

Will hung up and walked out of the pub after trying futilely to tear Jack away from his match.

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3 delis and 2 supermarkets later, Will returned home.

"Will!" Elizabeth yelled from the living room. "Where have you been?!"

"I've been running all over greater London in an effort to deliver to you an authentic Chicago style hot dog." He looked around. "Where's Ana?"

"Jack picked her up about an hour ago. He said you just up and left."

"Yes, so I could find the hot dog things." Will set the bags down and kissed Elizabeth. "I'm going to start making this, because it's apparently a quite involved process."

A few minutes later, Will emerged with a plate full of hot dogs. He had followed Teddy's direction to a T. He set the plate down in front of Elizabeth and grabbed a hot dog for himself.

When Will finished his hot dog (and he did have to admit that it was absolutely delicious), he noticed that Elizabeth had devoured three of them. He had to laugh; the stereotypes about pregnant women were apparently true.

She laid there next to him, with her head dangling partially off the futon. "That hit the spot, Will. Thank you."

Will smiled.

"I hope it was no trouble…"

Will shook his head. "No, it's fine…"

The two of them sat in silence for a few minutes. Elizabeth was the first to break the silence. "Will?"

"Hm?"

"Do you ever feel scared? You know, about Katherine? About all the things that could go wrong?"

"Well, I suppose so. I mean, that's normal right?" His job, as far as he was concerned, was not to dwell on his own fear, but to quell hers.

"Will, I just…I'm so terrified that I'm going to be a terrible mother. I can barely hold down a job. I sometimes forget to give you what you need! How on earth am I going to keep up with the demands of an infant? I mean, I push you around and demand thing and thing from you and sit here like a princess. How am I going to deal with a kid who need the same from me? And what's more…I have no marketable skills…you're smart and talented and wonderful. You have this wonderful studio. You are beginning to get high profile commissions!"

"About that…"

She continued as though she hadn't heard him. "And it's not that I'm jealous of your skill or anything! I'm not…I love that about you. It's just…what am I going to contribute to our daughter's life?" Tears were forming at the corners of her eyes.

Will just held her, unsure of what he could say to make her feel better. "Oh, Elizabeth." He kissed her hair and her face. "You…you are stunning and radiant and brilliant. You are so smart and…" He sighed. "You're going to be a terrific mother."

"I'm just…I was so proud when you got the Boeing Commission. I still am." She smiled. "They paid you, didn't they? That was the difference between getting the loft and not, wasn't it?!"

Will sighed. "Yes," he said.

Elizabeth hugged him. "Oh, congratulations, Will! That makes me feel a lot better. At least this baby will have one useful parent!"

His heart sank. Or evaporated. He wasn't sure which. "You know, I have some work I need to get done. I'll…uh…be in the bedroom. Yell if you need me…"

Without waiting for a response, he got up and went to the bedroom, He plugged in his iPod to mask the crying he thought might be coming. He flopped onto the bed, his head in his hands. He sighed deeply and looked up, face to face with a picture from their wedding. He remembered it like it was yesterday, truly. He felt he had been born for that moment.

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1 YEAR AND ROUGHLY 7 MONTHS AGO

The most nerve wracking part was over, as far as he was concerned. He had watched her come down the aisle on the arm of her father. That was what scared him the most. That she would reconsider. That she would realize what she was getting herself into.

Their ceremony was short and sweet. They had already reached the part where they were to read their vows. They had, of course, chosen to write their own.

Will cleared his throat. He now had the distinct pleasure of declaring to his family and friends and Elizabeth the promises he had made in his heart to her so many years ago.

"Elizabeth, I take you to be my partner, loving what I know of you, and trusting what I do not yet know. I eagerly anticipate the chance to grow together, getting to know the woman you will become, and falling in love a little more every day. I promise to love and cherish you through whatever life may bring us. I promise, above all, to connect with you no matter the situation; to work diligently and patiently through the hard days and to laugh and enjoy the easy days. I promise to have the utmost respect for you and your ideas, to trust you and to always be honest and open…"

-----------------------------------------------------

And now, he had deliberately broken that promise. The floodgates had opened. What would he do now? There was no way he'd be able to continue to be dishonest with her, but…what if it made her go back into labor? What if she found out years down the line? Then what? There was no easy way out of this and…he had actually betrayed her this time. And this was kind o a big deal. Why?! He thought. Why can't I just…open up to her?! What am I so afraid of?! I mean, it's the stress…

He remembered how they barely told his mother what was going on with her own body as she slipped away. To keep her from the pain of knowing. To keep her unaware, blissfully. Maybe so they could keep her with them forever, or even hold onto her just a little longer.

Is a betrayal that you honestly believe is in the other person's best interest still a betrayal?, he asked himself.

He turned up the dial on the iPod speakers. He had a knack for music that fit his mood. This song, from an album that essentially described the various levels of hell one could go through, was about a man yearning for a family lost long ago. Had Will made the same mistake?

He sobbed openly as the music picked up.

_Shiola, Shiola_

_We'll all be forgiven…._

Will sighed. "I hope you're right", he said to the disembodied singer. "I just really hope you're right."


	13. Chapter 13

Disney owns these characters, not me.

It's Lucky #13! This one's for unacymbal. And slobberneck/oh-you-pretty-things and Williz. But especially unacymbal for killing my writer's block and forcing me to get back into it and finish this thing! I'm very sorry to say that this is the penultimate chapter of this epic tale. An additional BIG THANK YOU to Beautiful Disaster, who is responsible for helping out with some very sensitive dialogue at the end of the chapter here. You make a terrific Liz, my dear.

Thank you for all the reviews! You have no idea how nice it is to hear your feedback. I probably would have given up on this baby a while ago without all the kind reviews!

That being said, things are about to get a little intense. Hold onto your hats, folks. You get to see a side of Willabeth that rarely ever gets written about…This is really as bad as it's going to get, but…whoa…it's pretty bad. R&R…I'm curious to know if you all hate me now! And to answer the question I know is coming…the next chapter should be up Sunday, if all goes according to plan and I don't get press-ganged into another day-long voyage to IKEA.

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Chapter 13

ALMOST 8 WEEKS LATER/JUST OVER 2 WEEKS UNTIL THE DUE DATE

Construction on the new loft finished not only under budget, but also ahead of schedule. To Will, this was like manna from heaven. Something he had legitimately done right and could be proud of.

He looked around and surveyed the work that had been done. He had to admit, the place was absolutely gorgeous. They refinished the hardwood floors, replaced the old appliances, countertops and bathroom fixtures and of course added walls, which were then painted. Will had gone back through old journal entries and racked his brain over old conversations and he was pretty sure that everything was purchased, installed, painted and whatever else according to Elizabeth's specifications. It was his gift to her. He had wanted to give her this more than anything.

He was coy about it when she asked. All she really knew about was the walls were going up and they'd replace the old fixtures in the bathroom. He had told her they'd paint and tweak and whatever else when the baby arrived and they were al settled in. He was hoping this would be, well, his atonement. For sins she didn't even realize he'd committed.

Thankfully, the Boeing commission hadn't been mentioned since that night with the hot dogs. He wanted sincerely to keep it that way. Recently, he had submitted several proposals for exhibition grants and new major commissions. He had already secured a few mid-level projects which he was overjoyed about and if one of the major projects came through, he could pay Weatherby back on the sly and pass off the down payment as less of a big deal than it actually was. He'd tell her, of course. He just wouldn't tell her the whole story.

Or maybe, that made him a terrible person. He just…he was so careful with her, as though she were some priceless porcelain doll. As if any bad news would break her or harm her.

Although, maybe, even, the truth would set him free. Someday.

But he didn't really have time to worry about that. He needed to finish his little surprise and get them moved in. The baby was due in just a little over two weeks.

The spring sunshine felt incredible on Will's face as he walked out onto the street. He was set to meet Jack and his dad for lunch before they ventured back to the infamous baby shop to pick up the nursery furniture. Will had taken some liberties with the nursery things and after securing some new projects, ordered some additional items. In addition to a changing table and crib with bedding, he had purchased for his daughter a matching dresser to store her steadily growing collection of clothing, several stuffed animals (including the pink elephant), a mobile for the crib, and a rocking chair for Elizabeth to use when she was nursing; all things e was sure his wife and baby would love. He also bought a copy of _Goodnight Moon_; though he realized it was rare for men to dream of such things, he always imagined reading that book to his children, with them all tucked into bed. His mother had read it to him when he was a child.

His plan was to pick up the furniture with Jack and Bill and then head back to the loft and assemble the furniture and arrange the nursery just right. Then, they would spend the afternoon moving and arranging the Turners' existing belongings. They would do this all night if they had to.

The next morning, the plan was to have Ana bring Elizabeth over. Elizabeth was staying with Ana while the men took care of the moving. At any rate, Elizabeth thought she would have to spend the following day telling Will where things went and how she'd like things arranged and doing as much organizing as she could. Will had feigned frustration, telling her that it would probably take until after the baby was born to finish unpacking, and the apologizing profusely that he couldn't have had construction done sooner. Inwardly, he laughed at how seriously she was taking him and how far she was falling into his little trap.

He rounded the corner and arrived at a little corner café. Jack and Bill were already sitting at the counter.

"Good morning!" Will said happily.

"Will!" Bill exclaimed. "I have to admit, I've haven't seen you this happy in weeks."

"Well, we're all set. Everything is ready to go." Will turned to Jack, noticing something sitting in front of him. "Jack? What are you drinking?"

"It's a lunch pint. Haven't you ever heard of a lunch pint?"

"Well, no. And honestly, should you be drinking? We're going to be doing a lot of lifting today."

"Thank you, Sister William. Would you like to rap my knuckles now, too? Blimey, I don't think a few pints will have much of an affect on my ability to carry things."

"Dad, you let him drink?"

"William, I'm not his mother. Now, sit down and have some lunch."

The men enjoyed lunch and scattered conversation. Will just wanted time to pass more quickly. He couldn't wait until he saw the look on Elizabeth's face when she saw her dream home. They finished lunch and Will paid for all of them, a token of thanks for helping with the move. By this time, Jack had polished off lunch pint number 4, but still appeared to be functional.

They all piled into a van that Will had rented, which he drove awkwardly down the narrow streets of Central London. They pulled up in front of The Baby Shop. Will and Bill got out of the van while Jack lurked around the back of the van, eager to avoid a repeat of the diaper-disposal incident. Will glanced inside the shop.

"It's ok, Jack. Your favorite saleswoman appears to have the day off."

Jack looked stealthily around the side of the van into the shop window, just to be sure. Satisfied that he wouldn't be pushed into buying any more useless baby crap, he followed Will and Bill into the store.

"What can I help you with?" a much more warm, happy saleswoman asked the three men. And they must have been quite a sight; all of them in a clean and prim little boutique full of baby things in ratty t-shirts and old jeans, ready to do some heavy lifting. Other women in the store turned and chuckled at the fish out of water, and it was not lost on Jack.

"I personally would like help getting out of this little Cary Grant moment," he slurred. "'I've gone gay all of a sudden!'" he quoted, in his best Carson Kresley voice, prancing around the shop.

The saleswoman, clearly missing the reference, looked slightly taken aback and turned to Will. "Is this your-"

"Oh god, no!" Will responded quickly. "No, I'm just here to pick up some furniture. For my, uh, wife…yes, wife. We're…erm…expecting, you know?" he stammered awkwardly.

The saleswoman nodded patronizingly. "Right. It's ok if…"

Bill had wandered off and was looking at something on the far side of the shop.

"And, that's…that's just my dad…" Will trailed.

"Oh, how very nice! I'm sure he's proud of the new addition you two have on the way," she said, glancing at Jack who was prancing gaily around the store.

"No! He's just my slightly inebriated best friend…I swear!"

The saleswoman laughed. "Yes, of course," she placated. "If I could just get your information, I can pull up the order and have you on your way…"

Will didn't say much else, he just kept an eye on Jack, who was holding little baby frocks up to himself in front of a mirror. He had lost track of his father, but that worried him much less.

Moments later, Will stood in the alleyway behind the shop, where a large man named Sven was unloading the boxes and carrying them to the van out front single-handedly. Will followed him like a puppy dog, explaining exactly where and how to put the boxes (and being largely ignored by Sven), while Jack skipped about, singing the theme song from _Friends_.

As the last pieces of merchandise were being loaded up, Bill emerged from the store with a little parcel in his hand.

"Where have you been, Dad?" Will asked.

"Oh, I just saw this and thought it might go well in the nursery. You can go ahead and open it if you'd like…"

Will tore into the package. He pulled out a little frame which matched the baby's room perfectly; the colors, the little animals dancing about. Bill had somehow already managed to get a picture in the frame: it was a snapshot of Will and Elizabeth at about age 12, playing in the Turners' yard. Will couldn't recall ever seeing this picture. It must have been taken right after they moved in. Right after his mother passed away. By the looks of it, they weren't ever aware that the picture was being taken at the time. Young Will was lanky and awkward, just starting to sprout limbs, his hair still growing out every which way. Elizabeth was taller than he was at that point, leggy, flat chested and with lighter, fluffier hair than she had now. They were looking at each other, smiling. Had he always known she was the one? It certainly seemed so, looking at the picture, but he honestly couldn't remember a defining moment where he fell in love with her. It had just sort of…happened? Or had it been there all along, from the moment he met her?

The van door closed with a slam, and Will shook himself back to reality. "Dad, it's really-"

At that moment, Jack ran by and slapped Will hard on the ass. "Time to go, sugar lump!" he said loudly.

"Jack!" Will yelled, running after him. "I will HURT YOU if you ever come anywhere near my ass again!"

The saleswoman smiled from inside the shop as she watched the men pile into the van. "Lovely couple, those two," she said to one of the other shoppers. "I wonder why they were so afraid to admit it…"

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When they had finished hauling all of the furniture items into the freight elevator and up to the loft, Will assigned everyone a piece of furniture. He would handle the changing table and the rocking chair, Bill would handle the wardrobe and Jack would handle the crib. Jack had appeared to sober up entirely and everything was quite pleasant. With their arrangement, the furniture was put together in no time.

Jack and Bill could sense that Will wanted to be alone, so they offered to go back to Brixton and pick up the first load of the Turners' things. Will nodded quietly. As soon as they left, he pulled out all the little extras he bought for the baby. His baby.

He made the crib up, being totally gentle as though he was afraid he'd break something or ruin it with a heavy touch. He scattered the teddy bears and things around the room, laying the pink elephant in the crib. He tied cushions onto the rocking chair, stocked one of the drawers of the wardrobe with absurdly soft baby blankets, and finally put the picture on top.

He stood back. Yes, it was perfect. She would love it.

The stress finally started to melt away.

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It was late evening and Elizabeth was beginning to get restless. She had been in bed for almost 2 months, so restlessness had become second nature, but this was a different kind of restless. Why was bringing over their scant amount of furniture taking this long? It should have been 2 vanloads and then they should have been done. Ok, maybe one more for boxes and clothes, but they really didn't have much.

She flopped over onto her back and shut her eyes tight. This was her version of pacing. Mentally, she went over again how everything was going to be arranged and all of the things they would need to go out and purchase for the new baby. She'd need a rocking chair for nursing, especially late at night. She'd also like to have some stuffed toys. Maybe a mobile, some books…some kind of decoration for the room. She was sure she'd come up against resistance from Will. He'd been such a tightwad lately, she thought. I wonder why? His commission should have remedied that.

Anyway, she's paint one wall of the living room a really deep shade of red. She always liked bolder colors. They had never gotten around to painting their old flat, but it's always more difficult to do when you're renting. She'd also paint their room some really soothing color, like light blue. And she'd have to convince Will that they needed new appliances.

"Ana!"

"Yes, Liz?" Truth be told, Ana was starting to wonder how Will put up with this. Elizabeth seemed to get more and more foul-tempered as the days went by. But then again, Will had the patience of a saint whereas Ana was sorely lacking in that department.

"Have you heard from Jack?"

"Well…" Of course she had heard from Jack. They had moved everything in and were now just unpacking everything. "No."

"Where ARE they?!"

"Well, Liz, they said it might take all night. Weren't we going to go over there in the morning?"

"But I don't understand what's taking so long!"

"It's ok, Liz. Can I get you some tea?"

"Stop placating me."

"Fine."

"Ana?"

'What?" she asked flatly, letting her frustration get the better of her.

"Why isn't Will answering his mobile?"

"I don't know, Liz." Just then, the phone rang. Oh great, Ana thought to herself. "I need to get that…"

"Well, if it's Jack, tell him I NEED to talk to Will."

"I will do that." She placed the receiver by her ear. "Hello?" It was her parents, just checking in. Thank god! She was saved! "Hang on," she told her mum, placing her hand over the receiver. "It's just my mum, Liz, sorry!"

Liz thought to herself. That was a good idea. She should check in with her parents. She picked up her mobile and dialed their number.

"Hello?" Weatherby answered on the other end.

"Hi Daddy!" Elizabeth said.

"Kitten! To what do I owe this phone call?"

"I'm just checking in. How are you?"

"I'm just fine. More importantly, how are you? How is…the baby?" Weatherby still couldn't get over the fact that they had chosen to name is granddaughter after a Turner of all things. It was bad enough that her daughter had chosen someone who was apparently inept. He hadn't even heard anything from Will regarding the check, although he noticed it had hit the bank a couple months ago.

"We're fine. I'm ready to be in the new loft."

"Why aren't you?"

"Will and Jack are taking extra long to move our things in. Then, I need to go over there and…direct traffic, I guess."

"Ah, I see." Weatherby paused. "I hate to bring up financial matters, but you just reminded me. Did William get payment for the commission he won?"

Elizabeth smiled. "He did! Isn't that…wonderful? It's how he was finally able to pay the down payment on the loft and offset some of the construction costs. So I don't want to hear anything else from you about his profession or his supposed inability to take care of me, thank you very much. Will is a great man, and you know it."

"Is that what he told you?"

"Of course that's what he told me. How else would we have been able to afford to buy a home?"

"Kitten, I…I don't want you to worry, but…"

"But what?"

"Maybe I should just take care of this, Lizzie."

"Take care of what?"

"I just…Elizabeth, I don't want to involve you in anything stressful right now."

"Stressful? What is going on?"

"No, I don't think it's my place."

"If you didn't want to stress me out, it's entirely too late for that. What is going on? I'm a grown woman, father.! I can take stress just fine, thanks!"

Weatherby sighed audibly. "If you wish." He paused.

"Well?"

"I don't think Will has been entirely honest with you."

"What the- of course he has! He would never lie to me!"

"Elizabeth, calm down."

"No! Not with you making all kinds of false accusations! Geez, Dad, just because you hate Will doesn't mean…"

"I wrote the check for your down payment. That's where the money came from. I don't know why he didn't or doesn't have the money. I just know that it didn't come from the commission."

Elizabeth froze. She had nothing to say. "You-"

"Yes, darling. I wrote the check. It was number…let me see…"

"No, that's not necessary. I just…" She had tears in her eyes.

"I'm so sorry, Lizzie. I knew I shouldn't have said anything."

"Daddy, I have to go."

"Yes, of course. Let me know what's going on."

Elizabeth hung up the phone, her face blank and her eyes stinging with tears.

"ANA!"

"For Chrissakes, what now?!" Ana came rushing into the room and froze when she saw Elizabeth's face.

"We need to go to the loft," Elizabeth said evenly. "Right now."

----------------------------------------

They were, again, way ahead of schedule. Everything was moved in and unpacked and cleaned and tweaked and perfect.

"Well, mates," Will said. "It looks like you're done. I thank you…"

Bill looked around. "No, you're missing something." He walked around the brand new shaker table Will had put in the dining room, roughly where his little card table was 2 years ago. "Aha! You'll need some flowers." He looked at his son affectionately. "You…you'll always want to have flowers for your wife," he said quietly.

Will put his hand on his dad's shoulder.

"She would be so proud of you, you know that?" Bill said quietly.

"I…I know," Will responded.

"Really, son. This is beautiful. I hope you two have a long, happy life together with your daughter."

"I hope so, too, Dad."

Bill straightened. "Now, about those flowers!"

Will got up. "Right. I'll be right back."

Bill stopped him. "No, you stay here. Make sure everything is exactly how you want it to be. We'll be back." He smiled. "And what is Elizabeth's favorite flower?"

"Poppies. She likes poppies."

"Ok, well, we'll be right back."

Finally, Bill and Jack left, which Will had secretly been hoping for. He looked around. This is exactly what his mind's eye had always seen. He knew she'd love it. He was positive. Maybe he could even call her tonight. Ana mentioned she was getting anxious…

As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. He looked through the little peep hole in the door. Ah! It was his Elizabeth! Perfect timing! Perhaps Dad or Jack called her…

He swung the door open. Elizabeth sat in front of him, slumped in the wheelchair she was forced to use. She frowned.

"Welcome home, love!" Will beamed. But she didn't smile. She just pushed herself into the foyer and looked Will dead in the eyes.

"Would you like to explain to me why you have lied to me for the past…oh god…how many months?!"

"Wait, what?!" How could she know? Will thought. And who told her?

"Did you miss something? I SAID: are you going to explain why you have been LYING?"

Maybe she didn't know. "Lying about what? What are you TALKING ABOUT?!"

"How about the down payment on this loft, Will? Hmm? When were you going to TELL ME?"

Oh god, oh god…what now? "I paid for it with the commission money. I told you that!"

"Oh, so my father is a LIAR now??"

"Your father? Who said anything about...what is going on?"

"He told me everything, Will." She looked down at her feet, sadly. "And I want to know WHY THE HELL you've lied to me!"

"Wait...back up. What exactly did your father tell you?"

"That he paid for the down payment on the loft. What else would he have told me? Why isn't this being paid by your commission money?!"

"I...uh...see, it's kind of a long story..." Well, my time has come, Will thought to himself.

"Well I have no where else to be, so EXPLAIN to me WHY I am standing here asking this!" she spat

Will sighed deeply. Ok, out with it. "I lost the commission, Elizabeth. I don't have any of that money."

"You what, Will?!... Well, that's still no... what..? And you couldn't have told me that?!"

"It was...god." The truth will set me free, he thought. "It was a couple months ago. I just didn't want to hurt you. I didn't want to put the baby in jeopardy...I figured something else would come along, and it would be ok. I'm …I'm sorry."

She continued as though she hadn't heard him. "Will.. I can't believe... why would you lie to me like that? Didn't you think we'd be okay? I can't believe you went to my FATHER for money for the bloody loft so that you thought you wouldn't HURT me!"

"I DIDN'T GO TO YOUR FATHER!" Now, he was raising his voice. He hadn't meant to, but she hit a sore spot. And she knew that.

"You used to STAND UP to my father, Will!"

"I didn't. Ask. Him." Will said through gritted teeth

"WELL, OBVIOUSLY YOU DID OTHERWISE WE WOULDN'T BE STANDING HERE IN THIS ROOM!" Now, she was screaming, too.

"HE GAVE ME THE MONEY, ELIZABETH! I HAD NO CHOICE!"

"YES YOU DID! YOU COULD HAVE TOLD ME!"

"No, I couldn't have." He caught his breath. "You would have just gone back into labor. Then, where would we be, hmm?"

"IN LABOR! With a preemie, but we'd be fine! When did you become so... I can't even describe it, Will."

"Just tell me, Elizabeth. While we're being so open an honest, what have you been hiding, hm? Obviously, you have some sort of problem with me."

"Well, clearly you have problems with trusting me too."

"Don't be daft, Elizabeth! I trust you! I just...I didn't want to...I didn't want you to have to..."

"If you trust me, WHY did you LIE?"

"I told you! I didn't want to hurt you. Good god, Elizabeth, are you even listening to me?"

"Lying hurts worse, Will! When did you become so... I don't know... How did you lose your class, Will? You used to be the perfect gentleman, and now..."

"Now what?" My class?! He thought. What the hell is she talking about? "WHAT?!"

"You... You're...You seem s…UGH! I used to think you were so strong and so special, Will"

Now, he was angry. That hit below the belt. It was not common that Will Turner raised his voice, but he couldn't control it. "WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?!"

"It's SUPPOSED to mean that YOU ARE NOW THE VERY THING THAT I NEVER WANTED IN MY LIFE! ALMOST AS BLOODY COMMON AS THE DRUNKS IN THOSE PUBS YOU'VE BEGUN TO GO TO WITH JACK! Is that your new goal since you lost the commission, Will?! To be a drunk?!" She was seething, irrational, hysterical. She spun about, and the words flew out of her mouth, defying the eloquence she normally possessed. If Will hadn't known better, he would have sworn she was herself at thirteen, arguing with her father to the death over some trivial matter or another.

Will shook his head at her, confused. "What do you mean, a drunk?! Lizzie, I...Elizabeth, what has gotten into you?!"

"YOU'RE what's gotten into me!"

Will took a deep breath, now very much regretting allowing himself to raise his voice. He tried very hard to regain his patience. He gritted his teeth and swallowed his pride, shook his head and cleared his throat loudly. "No, you don't mean any of this. Please, calm down and we'll talk…"

"DAMMIT WILL, YOU CAN'T UNDERSTAND!"

But, she was spinning him around in circles. Not that he didn't deserve it, but he was again losing his nerve. "Obviously not! I don't even know what there is to understand, Elizabeth! One second you're letting your father put ideas into your head about me, the next I'm a drunk! I really have no idea what to think! I don't even know why you're so upset!"

"Oh, I'll tell you what to think! THINK ABOUT WHERE YOU'RE STAYING TONIGHT, BECAUSE SURELY TO GOD, IT ISN'T HERE! Because you LIED to me! YOU BROKE YOUR WEDDING VOW, WILL!"

"And I'm sorry, but it was to PROTECT YOU AND OUR UNBORN CHILD! Good god, Elizabeth. Did you forget about her?"

"No, Will, I didn't forget, actually. I'M CARRYING HER, REMEMBER?!"

Will shook himself back again. This had to stop. "Elizabeth, I..."

"NO! JUST STOP!"

But it was in vain. "STOP WHAT?!"

"TRYING TO MAKE EXCUSES!" Her anger was so intense that it was causing her to shudder. Her face was red and tears cascaded down her face. "YOU'RE…YOU'RE NOT…NOT SPECIAL ANYMORE!" she sobbed, her voice jagged. "YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL THE TRUTH!" She paused, the sobs wracking her small frame.

Oh god, no. Don't cry like that, Will thought.

She continued, "YOU'RE…YOU'RE NOTHING MORE THAN MY FATHER'S SUMMER GARDENER!"

With that comment, Will could simply not handle it any longer. He had reached his breaking point. For over 8 months, he had been taking it from all angles. Mostly, he was angry with himself, with the world at large. But only Elizabeth stood in front of him.

"Oh, is that it? You wanted me so that you could make Daddy mad and tell your old Uni friends you went slumming, too? GOD! Listen to yourself!" He felt a low rumble in his throat as his temper finally surfaced. "DAMN IT, ELIZABETH, COULD YOU STOP BEING SUCH A BITCH?!" he roared.

His words hit the ground with a nearly audible thud. Time froze. The color fell from Elizabeth's face and Will began to shake as soon as he realized he could never take it back. Her eyes were lifeless as she opened her mouth to speak. "Get out. Just…get out of my sight. Leave. Now," she said evenly, calmly even.

Will was still fired up. "Fine! I will! Think you can get along without me? Because you know what I think? If there's any thing you've made glaringly clear lately it's that you can't even begin to take care of yourself!"

She stood up, her eyes on fire. Before either of them knew what was going on, she lifted her hand and slapped Will, hard, across the face. "I can get along fine without you, Will. So, just get out. Now," she growled, the words quiet and low in her throat.

"Fine. Whatever." He walked towards the door and threw it open. "You know what?"

"What?" She rolled her eyes.

Will's eyes smoldered as he glared daggers at her. He lowered his voice. "You can just tell your daughter that she's the bastard child you had with your father's summer gardener," he hissed before slamming the door behind him.

She stood there, eyes on the door. She took in a deep breath. The sobbing had caused a low, dull throb deep in her belly. She touched her stomach. Not as hard as it had been during the previous scare. Dr. Steele had told her about this…Braxton-Hicks something or another?

She looked around. Something wasn't right. Rather, something was too right. She backed up, trying to take it all in, figure it out. She bumped into something. Turning, she saw it: the shaker dining room table she saw in a window in town. She had barely made a comment about it, but somehow Will had remembered…

She walked through the loft as though fate had played some sort of cruel joke on her. The deep red walls of the living room, brand new kitchen appliances, the newly framed wedding picture that had previously been in their bedroom…it was all too much. Her world spun around her.

She dashed or fell into the nearest room and collapsed onto a chair. Oh god, the chair was rocking. What was going on?! Was she sick? She looked down.

If she wasn't sick before, she felt sick now. The chair was rocking because it was supposed to. It was a rocking chair that matched the crib and changing table and she looked up again and oh god, there was a matching wardrobe too. What had she done? She stood up and regained her balance, coming face to face with a photograph on top of the wardrobe. Another dull but nagging wave of aching hit her stomach.

The photo looked vaguely familiar, but she picked it up and examined it nonetheless. There she was, with Will, in the Turners' garden so many years ago. God, she remembered that day so vividly.

-------------------------------------------------------

14 YEARS AGO

She held his hand as tears formed in his eyes. They were perched on the fence at the edge of the run-down little garden behind the modest house he had moved into just weeks ago.

"I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I don't mean to be so…"

"Will, it's ok! She was your mother!"

"I just…I feel like I have to be…more polite. I don't even know you!"

"Will, of course you know me! You've been coming around since you moved in! And who cares about being polite anyway?!" She smiled gently at him.

"I just…" What he wanted to say was beyond the grasp of his 12 year old mind. The truth was, he didn't know what he wanted to say. He just knew he had never felt this way before. That was it.

"It's ok. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." She grabbed his hand. "C'mon. I'll show you something."

They walked out front and she picked up her bike. She was proud of that bike; it was a cruiser, a lime green cruiser with a banana seat and it had been a birthday present. Will's bike was beat up and second hand, but strangely, Elizabeth made no comment. Will was amazed that someone as groomed and perfect as she was made no comment.

They climbed onto their bikes and he followed her, back in the direction of her parents' grand estate and up and up the hill it sat on. What seemed like miles later, they reached the top. They dropped their bikes and Elizabeth smiled at Will, who hadn't quite gotten the hang of using the limbs he was sprouting. They dodged through a thicket before finally reaching a small clearing at the crest of the hill. Will pulled himself up.

They could see the whole town from up here!

"No one know about this, I don't think," she said, fluffy blond hair blowing gently around her face. "You know, if you ever need it…"

Will turned to face her.

"You can just come up here and…escape. That's what I do, anyway. Sometimes my parents are…too much."

Will nodded, admiring the view. He took in a deep breath.

"Will, what do you want more than anything in the world? Besides having your mum back."

He furrowed his brow. "I dunno. I just…I want to be happy, I guess."

"But WILL! What makes you happy?" She grinned. She loved her new friend. He was quiet and agreeable and was one of the only people who indulged her odd little games and adventures.

You, some part of him wanted to say. The feeling was too new. "Well, lots of things, I guess. I like to draw and I like to read and…"

Elizabeth giggled. "You didn't even answer the question! Here, I'll go first. You know what I want more than anything else in the world?"

"What?"

She stood up and spun around. "I want to live high in a tower where I can see the whole town below me! And I want red, tall walls and…old shaker furniture, like my grandmother has! And I want to live there, happily ever after!"

Will smiled. "Well, um…that sounds like a worthy goal in life…"

"No, it's actually kind of daft. I've never told anyone that before, come to think." She plopped down onto the ground. "I know, I'm supposed to want to go to Uni and become a rocket scientist or whatever else, you know, girl power and all that, but you won't tell anyone, will you?"

Will laughed. "Your secret is safe with me. It'd be safe with me even if I knew someone else around here." He laid down on the heather and looked up at the sky. "In fact, I'll tell you what. If we're still friends when we're grownups, I'll build you a house at the top of a tower."

Elizabeth giggled. "Don't be daft! You can't build houses!"

"Well, not me, but my dad knows tons of architects. I'll make sure it happens."

"Why would you do that?"

"Well, if I told someone about it, then they'd tease you and taunt you until you gave up on that dream, went to Uni, got a job as a CEO somewhere and married a man who owns a fleet of yachts, which is enough to make anyone depressed, really." He smirked. "So, by not telling anyone and then building you your house, I'm just…" he sighed. "I'm showing you that you can always trust me," he whispered.

She smiled at him. "I think I followed that."

They sat there in silence for a few minutes.

"Now, what do you want most in the world, Will Turner?"

He thought for a second. "Truthfully? Some food."

Elizabeth laughed and they got back on their bikes and glided smoothly down the hill and back to Will's house. They tromped into the garden, unkempt from laying about on the dirt and heather, still talking and laughing. All of a sudden, there was a flash.

Will and Elizabeth looked up, confused. There stood Will's father with a camera. "Just, uh, trying to use up some extra film. You two run along now!"

---------------------------------------------

PRESENT DAY

She was sobbing again. Hot, wet tears were running down her face and the dull pang returned to her abdomen.

What had she done? This wasn't how this was supposed to end!

But she had lost him now, she was sure of it. She took her mobile out of her pocket and sat back down onto the rocking chair. It was pitch black out, eerily silent for a beautiful spring night in a place as popular as Canary Wharf. She pushed Will's speed dial number. It rang a number of times, then his voice mail picked up.

Oh god, this wasn't like him. He always picked up, no matter if they had recently had a row. Of course, this was unlike anything else they'd ever gone through.

She dialed his number again. The same thing. Several rings, no answer.

She sighed and stood up. Maybe she should just go to the bedroom and sleep it off. Her abdomen continued to throb.

As she stood up, though, something warm and very, very wet spilled onto the ground below her.

Oh god, Elizabeth thought. It's time.


	14. Chapter 14

For the 14th time, no, I don't own these characters! GEEZ!

To unacymbal, as always, and the other gabbly girls (slobberneck, Williz, BD, etc). But mostly, this is for unacymbal for CONSTANTLY holding my hand and indulging me. Every. Single. Day. Even though it makes her get no sleep and she then has to go to work with very little energy since she hates coffee. THANKS UNA! Also, thanks mz-turner/Hali, for stepping in for this chapter.

For both the purposes of dangling all of you over a great canyon of suspense and ease of reading, I have split the final chapter into 2 parts. Please, read and review! Like I said before, my self-esteem hinges on reviews. You'll also no doubt notice something after I post the second part, which is that even though the story is for all intents and purposes done, the story isn't listed as complete. Curious, innit? This isn't a mistake: there is more baby project waiting for you, but you'll have to ask very nicely for it in the form of reviews. Yes, I'm bribing you. Otherwise, this is it, folks! It's been fun!

The song that begins and ends this two-parter just set the mood perfectly, so I included it, really, for no other reason than that it was going through my head for the entire 3 day period I was writing this monster. It's called "The Devil Drives" by Murder By Death, if you're wondering.

--------------------------------------

_Lately, Lately we haven't been at our best_

_and maybe, maybe_

_we had it coming for a long time._

_Everybody knows that life is like a dancer's pirouette_

_With grace we've dodged each conflict and decision that we've met._

_Everybody tells themselves_

_That they must be justified,_

_They do what they do because they're trying to get by._

Chapter 14

Numb. That was about the only word Will could come up with to describe how he was feeling. It was curious; he had been absolutely sure that the world would stop if he ever lost Elizabeth. But, cars still whizzed past him, a gentle breeze still hit his face, the moon still hung in the sky. A full moon. Huh, he thought. Such poetic irony.

He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked briskly. To where, he did not know. He just felt this unseen urgency to keep moving. He felt his mobile vibrate against his leg and took it out. It was Elizabeth, again. Rightly the last person he wanted to talk to.

This was so new. Shutting Elizabeth out had never crossed his mind. Ever.

Once again, he clicked the "end" button the phone and continued to walk.

He reached the Thames. Flinging himself into the river would be a little overdramatic. And he'd probably sincerely regret it. His phone vibrated again. Elizabeth.

He shook his head smugly. No, you don't, he thought, before tossing his phone over the guardrail, where it landed with a loud _gulp_ in the river.

As he watched his phone sink to the bottom of the Thames, it hit him. Where would he go now? What kind of a life could he have without Elizabeth in it? He'd obviously need to leave London. Maybe he'd go to the states. Chicago, maybe. It was as good an option as any, and they had delicious hot dogs. Maybe he'd go back to school and make something of himself, rather than the dismal failure he'd obviously become. Maybe he'd track down Teddy Knisley and take up with her. Well, assuming that she had changed her mind about the whole lesbian thing.

It was the most odd feeling. He was beholden to nothing. This probably should have been exhilarating on some level, but it wasn't. A lump began to develop in his throat and his eyelids began to flutter. He squinted through hot tears before falling to his knees.

Oh god, he thought. What in the bloody hell have I done?!

He looked up at the moon, pleading desperately for some direction. A sign. Anything.

But, the world just soldiered on, without waiting for him or giving him any help. He sighed. How will I ever take back those awful things I said? he asked himself.

Well, it's too late now, Will thought to himself. It's already over. It was never supposed to be like this. But that was the curious thing about relationships: no matter how much one sits there and waxes poetic about destiny and what have you, they're still hard work. And they're still fragile as hell.

The wind was picking up. Will was sure he'd been on his knees for hours. In reality, however, only about 5 minutes had passed.

He got up and took his bandana off his head and wiped his eyes and nose with it before shoving it into his strangely empty pocket. He had with him his ID, his bus pass and a few quid.

He continued to walk, this time in a slower and more aimless manner. He eventually came to the pub he and Jack had gone to when he first learned that his wife was pregnant. Wife, he thought, heart sinking. I suppose that's only a technicality now.

Figuring he had nothing better to do, he walked into the pub and took a seat at the counter. He was one of the only people there.

"What'll it be?" the bartender asked huskily.

Will thought for a second. "Irish car bomb," he responded.

---------------------------------------------------

The contractions worsened as soon as her water broke. She lay there, paralyzed be the pain, waiting for a chance to get up and…something. Anything.

It seemed that as soon as one contraction ended, another started. They were almost on top of each other. Feverishly, she dialed Will's number. Now, it was going straight to voicemail. What was going on?! This was all her fault and she knew it. And now, she would…what? Give birth on the floor of the new nursery? Alone?

She hadn't meant it. Not any of it. She was just angry and heartbroken that Will had stooped to such lows in the interest of "not hurting her." God, she wished he would have been open with her. But at the same time…maybe she understood where he was coming from.

She dialed Will again. No response. Where was he?!

She then tried Jack's mobile. Then his flat. Then Ana's mobile. Then Bill's flat. No one was answering.

Just as she was about to dial the police, she heard voices in the hallway outside of the loft. She heard the lift door open. "HELP!" she screamed with all the strength she could muster. "HELP ME!"

The voices stopped, as if they were listening.

"PLEASE," Elizabeth screamed. "I NEED HELP!"

She heard the key turn in the lock and the door swing open.

"Elizabeth?!" a familiar voice yelled back.

"I'm…I'm…" She was so relieved she was crying. Or maybe she was just in that much pain. "In the…nursery…" she sobbed.

A figure appeared at the door, then two more behind it. They stepped into the light.

"Oh, god! Elizabeth!" Bill fell down to the floor beside her. "Are you ok? Are you-" He put his hand down next to her, into the puddle she had created.

Elizabeth just sobbed and sobbed, curling into the fetal position.

Bill turned to Jack. "Jack, Ana, her water's broken. We don't have much time." He turned back to Elizabeth and squeezed her hand. "Where's Will, love?"

She just shook her head.

"Where?"

"We had a…"she sobbed. "A…row."

"Ok, it's ok. Where did he go?"

She shook her head again, tears rolling down her cheeks. "I don't know!" She handed Bill her mobile, which showed her call history. "It hurts! Please…it…oh, god!"

"It's going to be ok," he said to her. He turned to Ana. "Ana, I need you to go get The Pearl and pull it up front. And fast. We need to get her to the hospital as soon as possible." He turned to Jack. "Jack, I need you to find Will."

"Wha…how?" Jack said, obviously startled by the situation.

"I don't know. He's your best friend. I'm sure you know where he goes."

"Well…wha…I…Fine." He turned to Liz. "And you! Don't you be getting any amniotic fluid on my car!"

Ana and Bill turned and glared at Jack.

"What?! It was a joke!" Jack pouted. "What? No smiles from anyone?"

Ana gritted her teeth. "Go. Find. Will." She paused. "Now."

"Ok, ok! I'm going!"

Jack ran out with Ana following close behind.

Bill went to the wardrobe and pulled out a few receiving blankets, just in case. Then, he grabbed a throw off of the rocking chair and wrapped Elizabeth in it. He gathered her in his arms and picked her up. Didn't think I'd ever be doing this again, he thought to himself.

Elizabeth wept softly into Bill's shoulder.

"Shhh now. We're getting you to the hospital. It'll be just fine. You're both going to be just fine," he whispered.

She searched for words of thanks or even acknowledgement, but only one word came out. "Will," she breathed.

"We're going to find him, love. I…I …" Bill paused. I probably shouldn't say this, he thought to himself, but… " I promise."

It seemed so strange to Bill. What had happened between his son and Elizabeth that had caused Will to up and leave his wife when she was in labor? Will wasn't the type. Certainly not the type Bill had raised him to be. Suddenly, he was glad that Katherine wasn't around to see this. Suddenly, he was furious with Will.

Bill carefully placed her in the wheelchair, still wrapped tight in the throw. They rode down the lift, Elizabeth whimpering as another contraction hit her. Thankfully, Ana had already arrived with Jack's car. Bill placed Elizabeth carefully in the backseat of the car and climbed in with her.

"Elizabeth? I need to call your doctor. Can you…"

She handed him her mobile without saying a word. Bill scrolled through the entries before coming to "Dr. Steele Mobile." He pushed send and the phone began to ring. And ring. And ring.

"Oh, for the love of god, pick up!"

As though listening to him, someone picked up. "Hello?" a drowsy female voice slurred.

"Dr. Steele?" Bill asked, incredulous.

"Oh..yes, of course!" The woman, whoever she was, put her hand over the receiver. "Aaaaaaarrron! It's a patient!"

Soon enough, Dr. Steele picked up. "This is Aaron Steele."

"And this is William Turner."

"Are you sure? You don't sound like Will Turner."

"I'm his father."

"Hohhhkay…so, what can I help you with at midnight on a Tuesday night, Will Turner's father?"

"It's Elizabeth Turner. Your patient. She's gone into labor."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure! She's sitting right here!"

"Ok, ok! Where's Will?"

"We have no idea."

"Uh…all right…well, how far apart are the contractions?"

"No more than a few minutes. Her water just broke."

"Oh! Ok, god. Ok. I'll be at the hospital right away. See you there!"

"Best in London, eh?" Bill muttered to himself. He hung up and turned to Elizabeth. "It's going to be just fine. Really." But where, he thought, could Will possibly be?

------------------------------------------

That very question had Jack vexed. Where had Will wandered off to? He took the lift down to the street and walked east, completely in the opposite direction that Will had passed just some time ago.

He furrowed his brow. "Think like Will. Think like Will!" he whispered aloud to himself.

He had only gotten about a block away when the very first idea popped into his head. "Aha!" He stopped. "If I were Will, and I had just had a row with Elizabeth," he said aloud to no one in particular, "I would be in my studio, listening to sad bastard music and crying! Genius, I am!"

So, he turned on his heel in the magnificent Jack Sparrow way he did, and strode back to the building he had just come out of. He took the lift up to Will's studio. Curious. The lights were all off. And the door was locked. Will never locks the door, unless he's going to be gone for a long time, thought Jack. He checked the door, which sure enough was emblazoned with Will's name.

"Will Turner! William!" Jack stood on his tip toes, looking into the window at the top of the door. "I know you're in 'ere! Just…stop crying already and come out of there! Your wife went into labor, eh?"

No response.

"Not comin' out, eh?" Jack turned and strode to the lift. "Well, then you'll just have to meet your kid later. 'Cuz it's bein' born right now!"

No response.

"Seriously, Will! Ana and your dad have taken Elizabeth to the hospital!"

Again, silence. Well, maybe he wasn't here. In fact, maybe…maybe he went back to the old flat! Aha! Genius once again, Jack thought.

He took out his mobile. They would be on their way to the hospital, but probably not there yet.

After a few rings, someone picked up. "Ana?"

"Jack! Oh my god. Have you found him?"

"Found who? What?" He paused, recalling why he called her in the first place. "Oh! No That's what I was calling you to say!"

"You're calling me to say that you've not found Will?"

"Yep! He wasn't in his studio!"

"Well, thanks for that brilliant little tidbit, Jack, but we rode past it on the lift just like you did. I could have saved you the time by telling you that myself. Bloody moron, you are."

"Oh. Right."

"Just, go get him, Jack. We're running out of time."

The she hung up.

Well, then, Jack thought. Time to get back to the old flat!

He jumped a cab and arrived at the flat in no time. "Well, no lights on here either. That's all right. I'm sure he's mastered writing sad poetry in the dark as well then," Jack muttered to himself.

As soon as he got to the building's front door, he realized he couldn't get in. Well, time for the oldest trick in the book, he thought before ringing all 6 intercoms at once.

Lights in the building flipped on. All of the intercoms lit up but one. Will and Elizabeth's old one.

"What do you want?!" snapped a voice from one of the intercoms.

"I just…I locked meself out is all! Sorry to bother you!"

Just like that, the door buzzed open. He walked up to Will's old door. It looked dark and still from in here, too. He banged on the door. "I know you're in there!" he yelled.

Again, he was met with only silence.

"WILLIAM TURNER!" He banged on the door again, repeatedly. But nothing happened. So, he tried to yank on the door knob. And then he jiggled it vigorously. Nothing. So, he put his back into it, still yelling at the top of his lungs.

Just then, the doorknob came off in his hand. "Didn't know my own strength, did I?" he said, mildly proud of himself. Well, anyway, back to the task at hand.

"WIL-LIAM-TUR-NER!" He screamed, banging himself against the door with each syllable.

"What in the name of all things holy is going on down there?!" a voice from upstairs said. The neighbors had started to stream into the hallway.

"Nothing…erm…just trying to…find me friend! Go back to sleep!"

Another neighbor appeared. "But you're being bloody loud and it's 12:30AM!"

"I just need to…"

People were all yelling at once and a baby was crying. Jack, for once, was at a loss.

All of a sudden, an old, squat woman in a floral print nightgown burst forth from the slowly gathering crowd. He blue hair was up in curlers, her glasses were attached to a chain and she was MAD. Not only was she mad, she was brandishing a rolling pin.

And she was shuffling as fast as her short, stubby legs could carry her, towards Jack.

"Erm, um…sorry ma'am," he said, backing away from her, down the stairs. But she kept coming.

Jack turned and ran out of the building, rolling pin lady not far behind. Luckily, Jack's relative youth paid off and he was able to dart behind a telephone box, throwing her off his trail. As she went back inside, Jack turned the corner.

"Oh!" he exclaimed, happy with what he had found there. It wasn't Will, rather it was…"A pub!"

Jack shuffled over to the little pub. If anything's going to help clear my mind and get me ready to do some heavy-duty searching, it's a pint, he thought to himself, opening the door.

However, when he entered the little bar, what he saw made him stop dead in his tracks.

"But…I'll have 'nother. Pleeeeeeaseee!? You don't even know what it's LIKE for me!"

"Oh, I think I do, pal. And the last thing the likes of you needs is more whiskey."

"But, I…" Will leaned in close to the bartender. "I got nowhere to go, see? How many times a day does your wife throw you out onto the streets, huh?"

"Listen, buddy, I can call you a cab and send you to a hotel for the night, but I'm not giving you any more liquor! And to answer your questions, none. Seeing people like you is what keeps me single."

Jack approached the counter. "I think I can take care of this one, barkeep."

"Oh-ho-ho! It's Jack Sparrow!" Will slurred. "You're the arsehole who ruined my life!"

"Ruined your…What?! Don't be bloody stupid, Will. It's time to go."

"I'm not going ANYWHERE with the likes of you!"

"Will, really, we can talk about this on the way to the hospital. Now, get up."

"Hospital? I don't need to go to the hospital!"

"Well, actually…you do. See, your wife is in labor and your child is about to be born."

"She doesn't want me there. She doesn't want me there and it's all because of YOU!"

"I'm not sure I follow, but whatever. Just get up." Jack turned to the bartender. "I'll take care of his tab, then." The bartender nodded and walked off to a cash register.

"YOU TOLD HER!"

"Told her what? What is wrong with you?! Did you not hear the part about Elizabeth being at the fucking hospital?!" The bartender handed Jack the tab and he plunked money down on the bar.

"You told her about Weatherby's check! It had to be you because you were the only people I TOLD!"

Jack had lost his patience for this particular situation. He grabbed Will by his upper arms and shook him. "Listen. To. Me. I didn't tell anyone about anything, and it is entirely possible that Elizabeth, on occasion, converses with her parents and therefore was informed by Weatherby himself. However, all of this pales to utter insignificance in light of the fact that Elizabeth, your WIFE, is terrified, alone, and having your baby. You WILL come with me, right now, if only so that your father doesn't kill both of us, assuming Weatherby Swann don't get to you first." He took a deep breath and looked Will right in the eyes. "Savvy?"

Will just sat there, staring at Jack, terrified. When was Jack ever…serious? He would never play a joke this cruel, but the look in his eyes told Will that this was certainly no joke.

"So…it's really happening?"

"Bloody hell, YES! Now come on!"

Wordlessly, Will stood up. Interestingly, after several shots of whiskey, he had never felt more sober in his life.

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The cab entered the hospital complex. "Which door, which door?!" the cabbie asked frantically, having been informed about their situation.

Jack looked at Will, who had certainly come to in the few moments since leaving the pub.

"Oh, I don't know!" Will cried. "Any door! Just HURRY!"

The cabbie banked around the turn and dropped them off at the main entrance to the main building. "This is great, thanks!" Will said, jumping out and throwing a 20 pound note through the partition at the driver. A generous tip for a 5 pound ride, to be sure. Jack and Will ran through the large revolving door, people dodging them.

The lobby was huge and overwhelming.

"Ok. What now?" Will asked Jack.

"Why are you asking me?!" Jack asked loudly. "This is your show!"

"You came to get me! I figured you'd know--"

"Will! Focus! Baby!"

"Right. Well. Erm…There's an information desk."

Will and Jack ran towards the desk, which was somewhat absurd as it was only about 2 meters in front of them.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asked boredly.

"Yes! My wife is in labor and I have no idea where she is! Her name is Elizabeth Turner and she--"

"I'm sorry. I can't give you that information," the receptionist said, twirling her hair idly around her finger and staring into space.

"Well, why the hell not?!"

"Patient privacy laws. How do I know you're not some stalker?"

Will pulled out his wallet and threw his ID down on the desk. "Well, I don't know. Maybe the fact that we have the same last name and the same address would have some bearing?!"

"For all I know, she could have a restraining order and you could be some crazed lunatic. I dunno, sir. It seems awfully strange to me…why hasn't she called you, huh?" the receptionist challenged.

"Because…" Will searched for a witty response. "Because I threw my phone into the Thames!"

"See?! I knew you were a crazed lunatic!"

Jack, on the other hand, could sense that this was going nowhere and had sought alternative options. "Will!" he yelled. "Come with me!"

"What? I'm trying to get…"

"Just come. Here."

Will huffed and turned his back on the dowdy receptionist. "So what's your brilliant plan, mate?"

Jack pointed to a sign that pointed to various departments of the hospital. "Well, we're a bloody brilliant lot for missing these, aren't we?"

With that, they took off running down the hall towards where the "maternity ward" arrow pointed.

The hall, of course, was also occupied with people in wheelchairs and gurneys, nurses and doctors and whatever else have you. They darted and weaved past everyone, including the multitudes of official-looking people trying to stop them. They stopped only, in fact, when they reached another sign.

"What is going on?! We've run all the way from one end of this hospital to the other! Why…what—" Will panted.

"Well, that's odd. Says the maternity ward is that way." Jack paused. "And we've just come from that way.

"Well, back we go then!"

So the two ran back down the hall, jumping and weaving over the very same people they had just irritated.

The came to a bank of elevators. "Aha!" Jack said. "Success!" He pointed to the sign which said 'Maternity Ward: Floor 3'. Will pushed the 'up' button on the lift frantically.

"Oy! Come on!" he yelled.

"Mate, I'm sorry to tell you this, but no matter how hard you press the button, the elevator won't go faster."

"Why. Don't. Lift. Buttons. POSSESS A SENSE OF URGENCY?!" Will cried, entirely too loudly. Everyone in the hallway turned to look at him. A security guard peered up over the top of his newspaper.

The lift door opened as the security guard stood up. "Time to go!" Will said, pulling Jack into the elevator with him, pushing the "close doors" button vigorously.

They had a second to catch their breath before the lift doors opened on the third floor. This was more like it: they could hear babies crying. "Sounds like we're in the right place…" Jack said uncomfortably.

"Yes, well, this time, keep calm and we'll ask those nurses over there…" Will pointed to a nurses' station down the hall from where they were. "She's bound to be up here somewhere."

"No, mate. Let me take care of this. Seeing as you're a crazed lunatic and all."

Will looked at Jack, annoyed, but nodded. Each inhaled sharply as if they were embarking on the most treacherous adventure of their lives…

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Bwahahahahahaha…..I'mma think about posting the rest of this now. Maybe. We'll see. It's sitting here, open on my computer, ready to be posted.

I respond well to bribes and reviews 


	15. Chapter 15

Ok, you've convinced me.

I claim no ownership of the characters. Well, the baby…who finally shows up in this chapter…is mine. MINE! Ok, that was sort of creepy. But…yeah.

To unacymbal, as always. And a special thanks to mz-turner/Hali for her work on this chapter.

And thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for making some noise about the last part. Let me know what you think about this last bit…but I'm pretty sure you're all going to like it : ) The encouragement is much needed: I'm both moving in with my fiancé and trying to plan the wedding, both of which are stressful as heck. Although, today, we went to register for gifts and the lady was showing us how the good knives balanced on our fingers and Mr. Lionessrampant goes "See? The tang is nearly the full width of the blade!" in a ridiclulous British accent, which indicates that I may have forced him to watch PoTC too many times. Of course, he's also the one asking me if we can get married on a pirate ship while sword fighting with fish people and the British navy. Haha, and I have "the flu" today. So I need happy thoughts. ARE WE GOING TO MAKE IT TO 200 REVIEWS?! I hope so.

Remember, yell if you want some more! No noise, no epilogue. That's the rules. And I seriously made myself squee with my own writing in the epilogue.

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Chapter 15

A nurse came running out of a patient room, not far from where Will and Jack stood. She approached Dr. Steele, who was in the lab, getting washed up and prepared to move Elizabeth into a delivery room. She frowned. "She's coming out of transition, doctor" She sighed. "She's at 10 centimeters."

"Ok, so what seems to be the problem? That's full dilation and I'm on my way. You sound like you've recently been punched."

The nurse sighed. "She refuses to push. Or even let us move her."

Dr. Steele rolled his eyes. "And why is that?"

"Something about her husband, Doctor."

Dr. Steele walked out of the room, the nurse following close behind.

They entered the room. Elizabeth was on her back, shaking vigorously, in the midst of an intense contraction. She whimpered, panted, grunted. There was a streak of blood on the bed between Elizabeth's legs. They had arrived too late to safely do an epidural, much to Elizabeth's dismay.

Bill looked at his watch. It was nearing 2 AM. He stood by the bed, holding Elizabeth's hand and looking at the ceiling uncomfortably. He didn't want to be here. He wanted his son to be here. Will's birth had been the most intense, rewarding, heartbreaking and utterly amazing moments of his life. And now, his son would miss this because of some stupid little argument. Of course, Bill wouldn't leave Elizabeth alone, either.

"Elizabeth! I hear we're having some trouble."

The contraction released Elizabeth from its clutches. She looked up, sweaty and red-faced.

"She's 10 centimeters with contractions about 2 minutes and 30 seconds apart, each lasting nearly a minute. And they're getting further apart, which means…" the nurse said, flatly. Professionally.

"…it's time to push!" Dr. Steele said, brightly. As though he honestly believed that simply being upbeat would convince her.

Elizabeth winced. She felt like her body was being torn in half.

"What's wrong, dear?" Dr. Steele asked again.

"I…can't…do it!" Elizabeth sobbed, tears joining the sweat running down her face. Ana, who was perched on a chair near the bed stood and wiped her face gently.

"Yes, you can," Dr. Steele said. "You'll need to," he added.

"I'm not…doing this. No! Not without Will!"

"Shhhh, honey, let me go try calling him again, ok?" Ana crooned. She got up and walked out of the room and into the hallway, back towards the elevators.

Dr. Steele turned to Bill. "We need to move her. If she goes too long without pushing, we're risking complications for both the baby and Elizabeth."

Bill nodded and turned to Elizabeth. "Love, we need to go to a different room, all right? It's going to be ok. You're…uh…you're doing well," he said awkwardly, but sincerely.

Elizabeth nodded and cried out as another contraction hit her. Dr. Steele and the nurse carefully wheeled Elizabeth's bed out of the room and down the hallway. Elizabeth clutched Bill's hand with a vice-like grip as the contraction intensified, then eased.

Bill looked up in an effort to help steer the bed around the congested nurses' station. He saw a pair of familiar figures among the hospital staff, one of whom appeared to be having an intense argument with a nurse. He did a double take to confirm what he thought he had seen. Sure enough! Almost without thinking about it, he broke away from Elizabeth's bedside.

Dr. Steele, his nurse and Elizabeth all turned to look at him in unison. "I…I need to..."

Dr. Steele cleared his throat, still pushing the bed. "Of course. We'll be in Delivery Room 323."

Bill turned and walked towards the nurses' station. Seeing Will made him both angrier and completely elated. He couldn't rightly describe the sensation. He strode strongly up behind his son, grabbed his collar and yanked him away from the desk, as though he were a naughty 6 year old other than his fully-grown, twenty-six year old son. I guess this parenting thing is never over, Bill thought.

"What the?!" Will spun around. "Dad?"

Jack, sensing the impending confrontation, backed silently away from the scene, back towards the elevators.

"Will, you better have a damned good explanation as to why I have been holding your wife's hand while she labors," Bill hissed.

"Dad, I—"

"No. Don't you 'Dad' me! I didn't raise you to act this foolishly! Elizabeth needs you. She is refusing to push because…" Bill paused to concentrate all of his anger on the last few words. "…you're not there."

Will could feel the lump rising back into this throat. His eyes burned.

"I don't know what's gotten into you recently. I really don't understand it. Will, if being stressed about your job and afraid of being a new parent and whatever else it is that bothers you are the worst things that happens to you, you have a very easy life. And I'll be DAMNED if you miss what is sure to be the most incredible and intense moment of your life because of some stupid fight!" He sighed. "You're a better man than this, William."

Will swallowed hard. "Where is she?" he managed to choke out.

Bill exhaled, calming himself down. "She's…they went into room 323. Go! Quickly!" he yelled, as his son took off down the hall.

---------------------------------------------

Elizabeth looked around, confused and in the most intense pain she had ever felt. Where was everyone? All of a sudden, she was shaved, scrubbed and sitting up in this strange bed in a strange pink room. The pain had taken her over and dulled her senses to everything else. There were bright lights, and some blood, and her doctor there with a nurse. Where had everyone else gone? Where was Bill? And Ana? Had anyone thought to call her parents?

Her body was telling her to push. It was instinct. The doctor was saying something to her, hovering above her. The nurse was between her legs, pushing them up, spreading her apart. She would have slapped the nurse for doing this, but she hadn't the strength. She couldn't even talk. She had to push. She just…couldn't.

This was exactly what she deserved. Cosmic justice, she thought, tears rolling down her cheeks once again.

"Ok, dear," the nurse said. "Please. I need you to push."

"Not without Will!" she managed to choke out.

"Dearie, you're doing so well." The nurse took her hand. "Please."

"Where's Will?!" Elizabeth cried through the pain. What an idiot I am, she thought to herself. Of course he isn't coming back. Not after those things I said to him.

"I'm right here," a voice said. Elizabeth turned her head to see her husband rushing towards her.

The nurse jumped out of the way. Will wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her wet, red face over and over. "I'm right here," he repeated between kisses.

"Will…I…" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"

"Elizabeth…I…"

"It's all…I didn't mean it. Not a…word."

"I love you," was all he said. "I love you."

Dr. Steele stepped up. "I'm sorry to…but we need…" he said, just as another wave of pain hit Elizabeth. Will looked horrified. He had never seen his wife like this.

"What should I…what do I…"

"You need to coach her. She's been refusing to push. She needs you to help her. Hold her hand. Massage often helps."

Will didn't need to be told twice. He hopped up on the bed behind Elizabeth and sat up behind her. She rested her weight on him and he grabbed both of her hands. "Squeeze my hands when it hurts," he whispered into her ear.

She nodded and immediately squeezed his hands as hard as she could. He barely batted an eyelash.

"Elizabeth, are you ready?" he whispered.

She nodded. He then nodded at Dr. Steele.

"Ok, Elizabeth, on the count of three, we're going to have you push until we count to ten," Dr. Steele said.

Elizabeth nodded. Dr. Steele began counting and Will whispered the numbers in her ear.

She bore down and strained as much as she could. The pain was unbearable.

"Lizzie, you're doing brilliantly. You're doing so well. I love you," Will whispered.

Elizabeth just cried. "I can't do that again….It hurts…oh..god!"

"Shhhh, yes, you can. I'll help you. I promise."

"Ok, on three again…" the nurse said.

Elizabeth screamed and Will held her tighter. "Shhhh, love."

Elizabeth pushed and pushed, panting heavily between each effort. Will was terrified. Captivated. He hated that he couldn't bear her pain, or stop it. He just had to get both of them through this. He squeezed her hands and rubbed her shoulders and her swollen chest and sides, all the while talking gently to her.

"I can see the baby's head!" the nurse exclaimed, finally.

"You're almost there!" Will whispered, rubbing her palms as best he could. "Keep going, love."

She screamed again, but this time, she reached down and she could feel her baby's warm, wet head there between her legs. She was crying again, but this was entirely different. She bore down at her husband's instruction. "She has crowned!" someone cried after a couple more pushes.

She pushed again, then again. To her, it felt like time had come to a screeching halt. Why was this taking so long? Her whole body was on fire.

Will was awestruck by what was happening there in the room. He just…he was dizzy with excitement, he was nervous…his head was swimming.

"One more, Elizabeth," Dr. Steele yelled. "Give us one more good push!"

"Come on, Lizzie. You can do this." He squeezed her hand. "Just once more!"

She gave it all she could, crying out with the pain and the pressure. The whole world stopped and she couldn't see or hear anything, not even Will whispering in her ear. All she could feel was her weight on his and the enormous pain. And then, suddenly, she was empty and she could see through clouded eyes, Dr. Steele carrying something tiny and purple off. Away from her. Something was wrong.

"Will! What's—" She was confused, terrified. Dr. Steele and the nurse were huddled off in a corner. Where was her baby?! "Will?!"

He was faced with a very familiar choice: he could try and protect her from this little predicament, or he could tell her the truth. He sighed. "The baby isn't crying yet, Elizabeth," he said plainly, calmly. "And I'm scared, too." He paused and cleared his throat. Suddenly, it all made sense. "But, it's ok. It's going to be ok. We'll get through this."

Elizabeth wept and Will wrapped his arms around her. "Will, are you sure?"

He inhaled deeply. "I've never been more sure about anything."

And just then, they heard an absolutely deafening but gorgeous and welcome shriek from across the room. And moments later, there was Dr. Steele, placing a tightly wrapped, screaming bundle on Elizabeth's chest.

Elizabeth and Will were delirious. Elizabeth pulled the little pinched purple face towards her and kissed it again and again. Will stroked the baby's head, which was full of thick, curly, dark hair. He smiled.

Dr. Steele and the nurse shuffled around the room, cleaning up. Will and Elizabeth were so riveted to their new little addition that they paid no mind to the practical happenings around them.

Dr. Steele cleared his throat loudly. Elizabeth and Will turned towards him.

"She's 49 centimeters long. She weighs 2.9 kilos and has all ten fingers and all ten toes. She was delivered at 3:14 AM" He paused. "She had a little bit of extra mucus in her airways is all. Normal and easily fixed. Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Turner." He smiled at the little family. "Someone will be by shortly to help you fill out the birth certificate. I…uh…I'll give you a few minutes before I let your families in."

Will just nodded, dumbly. The information he was just presented hadn't really hit him or meant anything to him.

Elizabeth clutched the baby to her chest. Will stroked the baby's cheek in a little circle and she immediately stopped crying. "Oh, Will…" Elizabeth said. The nurse came up behind Elizabeth and touched the shoulder of her gown. "May I?" she asked timidly. Elizabeth nodded. "Yes, yes of course!"

The nurse gently pulled Elizabeth's gown off her shoulder. "The baby needs some antibodies and it's really best to give them in the first few minutes, though she won't be hungry for a few hours yet…" she whispered, helping Elizabeth move the baby into a good position. Katherine took to it immediately and the nurse quietly excused herself into the hallway.

Will couldn't believe what he was seeing. Of course he knew about nursing mothers and the bonding they did with their newborns right at the beginning, but to see it was just…Wow, he thought. Just…wow. His heart was overflowing with the love he felt for this tiny little being. And the love he felt for his wife.

"She's beautiful, Elizabeth. She's…"

"She's absolutely perfect!" Elizabeth sighed. "Hello, Katherine," she whispered.

"Welcome to the world, Katherine," Will said, still stroking the baby's cheek and reveling in her name on his lips. He was so happy that he laughed out loud. "She's so tiny!" He turned and kissed Elizabeth on the head. "You were brilliant," he whispered into her ear. "You were…"

"Will, I just want to say…about earlier…"

"Shh, now. It can wait. I love you."

"I love you, too."

And so, they just sat there, not saying anything. The Turner family simply took each other in.

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Weatherby Swann was not a happy man. "She's my DAUGHTER!" he yelled.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Swann," Dr. Steele said, blocking the door.

"But…this is just absurd!" Mary chimed in. "I cannot believe you're not going to let us meet our first grandchild!"

Dr. Steele sighed and rolled his eyes. This was now the fourth or fifth time they had been over this. "Mrs. Swann, this is a crucial bonding time for the infant and the new parents, and it is particularly important for your daughter to have some privacy right now."

"But, they've been in there for a good 15 minutes!"

"Exactly. And they need more time. After the baby is done nursing, we'll move Elizabeth into a recovery room and THEN you'll be free to spend as much time there as you'd like."

"DO YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" Weatherby yelled.

Dr. Steele yawned. "Elizabeth Turner's father?"

"This is just…" Weatherby huffed. "How do we know we have a healthy granddaughter, huh?!"

"Because I just told you that you have a healthy granddaughter. More than once." This was, Dr. Steele could tell, going to be a long night.

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From inside the room, Elizabeth heard yelling in the hallway. Instinctively, she held Katherine closer to her. "What is going on out there?" she asked Will nervously.

Will kissed the top of her head. He could recognize the voices, that was for sure. And he was angry, to say the least. "Shhh, just rest. Both of you. I'll take care of this."

Will got up and walked to the door. He took a deep breath before slowly turning the door handle…

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Weatherby stopped, mid-sentence, distracted by the door turning. Even Dr. Steele dropped his guard and turned around, anxious to see what was happening.

Will emerged, squeezing himself through the door so as not to let Elizabeth see who was causing the commotion or let Weatherby see inside. It would only make things worse.

"Will?" Dr. Steele asked. "You really should…"

But Will ignored him and stepped face to face with Weatherby. "I can hear you in there," he said evenly, clearly annoyed.

"Well, of course you can!" he yelled. "This quack won't let us in and we should be in there with our daughter and granddaughter!"

Dr. Steele looked at Will, one eyebrow raised, as if to say 'good luck, pal'. Will looked back at Weatherby.

It's now or never, Will thought. Galvanized, he spoke. "Weatherby, she is exhausted. She has just worked harder than she ever worked in her life and she is exhausted. She needs to rest, she needs to nurse the baby and they need to bond without you and Mary and all of the extra commotion you bring with you wherever you go," he said sternly without raising his voice.

"Boy, you had better think twice before speaking to me this way!" Weatherby's voice lowered and he took another step towards Will.

Will, for once, didn't back down. "I'm just taking care of my wife is all."

With that, he pushed past Weatherby, who was standing in front of the door silent and dumbfounded.

Will reached a little waiting area where he saw Ana, Jack and Bill sitting. As he approached, they all looked up at him. Will smiled. "Healthy baby girl with ten fingers and ten toes!" They all sighed, relieved. "She's just under 3 kilos and…and…she's perfect!"

Ana jumped up and clapped her hands together and hugged Will, who after the night's events felt like he might pass out. Jack clapped him on the back. Bill stood up and pulled his son into an embrace.

"I'm so proud of both of you, William. I'm so excited to meet her."

"Did you tell Weatherby about?..." he asked nervously.

"That is something I'm leaving up to you." He paused. "And Elizabeth."

"Dad…" Will paused, tears forming in his eyes. "Thank you. For everything."

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They had just moved Elizabeth into a recovery room to greet her family and get some much-needed sleep. There was just one final order of business to take care of, and that was the birth certificate. Will sat there, filling it out for Elizabeth who was resting, Katherine in a basinet at the side of the bed, was sleeping. Most if the information was easy and succinct. Then, they reached her middle name.

"Lizzie, had we decided on a middle name?"

She paused. "No, actually."

"Well, we need one."

She thought to herself. "Just…pick out one you like." She yawned. "As long as it's not something stupid." She rolled over carefully and shut her eyes. Will couldn't blame her for wanting to sleep right away.

He thought about it long and hard. Suddenly, it came to him: Grace. It was a beautiful word and the many meanings all applied to his beautiful daughter. Grace was the capacity to forgive and unite people. Grace was elegance and beauty. A prayer. He filled in the final line of the birth certificate and stood up and went to his daughter. "Katherine Grace," he said quietly, touching her little forehead "Kate. Surely your mummy won't mind if we call you Kate?" The baby opened her mouth and yawned. He smiled.

He picked her up, careful to support her tiny head in his hands. He studied her intently, sitting down in the rocking chair in the corner of the room. He just simply couldn't believe how much he loved the little bundle sleeping in his arms.

Just then, the door swung open loudly. Elizabeth's eyes shot open and Will clutched Kate tight.

Weatherby and Mary paraded in, with Dr. Steele not far behind. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't keep them…"

Will looked down at the still sleeping baby in his arms. "It…" he looked at Elizabeth, who was looking back at him.

"It's ok. They can come in," she finished for him. The Swanns approached their daughter's bed slowly, Jack, Bill and Ana waiting tentatively in the doorway.

Will stood up, Kate in his arms, and walked slowly over to the Swanns. Bill, Jack and Ana inched into the room, Bill shutting the door gently behind him.

Will approached Weatherby first, turning his daughter so that Weatherby could see her. "Weatherby," he said calmly, "meet your granddaughter. Kate."

"Kate?" Elizabeth asked. She closed her eyes and smiled. "Mmmm…I like it."

Will gently handed Kate to Weatherby, who was awestruck. "She's…she's…"

Will nodded.

"I'm…" Weatherby paused. "I'm so proud of you." He smiled at Will. "Both of you."

And so, the night wore on. Everyone held little Kate, pictures were taken, hugs and kisses were given and received all around. Bill presented Kate with a teddy bear that laid with her in the basinet. Mary and Weatherby left and returned with flowers and balloons. Jack, after going out to the Pearl to get it, produced an awkwardly wrapped diaper disposal system. Eventually, as the early morning light a nurse came to take Kate to the nursery to check her over once again and allow Elizabeth time to get some much needed sleep. Will refused to leave either of them, alternately taking cat naps on the rocking chair in Elizabeth's room or on the bed next to her and visiting Kate in the nursery. She was brought in to nurse at regular intervals.

Kate's first day on earth progressed in this manner, until shortly after dinner Elizabeth and Kate were both discharged. Will wheeled Elizabeth out to the tarmac, Kate nestled close to her. Jack had come to pick them up and the nurse showed Will how to secure the carseat. Kate was then strapped in, her parents climbing into the Pearl on either side of her.

Will was so relieved when Jack pulled up in front of their new building. Jack carried all of their belongings, balloons and flowers, up behind them. Will unlocked the door and took it all in.

Soon, Jack had left. He had been largely silent, trying to give Elizabeth and Will some space.

"Elizabeth, do you need anything?" Will asked, tucking his wife into bed. Kate slept in a cradle next to her.

"No, I'm fine…Listen, I just wanted to say…"

"Lizzie, you really don't need to…"

"Yes. I do." She grabbed her husband's hands. "Will, this place is…oh, god, it's gorgeous. I really just…" She paused, searching for the words and beginning to cry. "I can't believe you remembered all of this."

"How could I forget?" He asked.

She continued. "I was…I was out of line. I don't know…I understand why you did what you did. I understand who you were trying to be. But it's not…it wasn't…God, I don't deserve this place."

"Yes, you do." Will said sternly. "I'm…I'm so sorry I lied. I'm so sorry I…broke the vow I made to you. I was just so scared!"

"I know, Will."

"I'm not scared anymore," he said simply. "I saw you in that delivery room, and I held Kate in my arms, and…I'm not afraid any more. I am so lucky to have you two and I would…I would do anything for you two."

She squeezed his hands and kissed him lightly on the lips. "I love you, Will."

"I didn't mean what I said, Lizzie. I'm always going to be here." He stood up. "I…uh…I need to run downstairs to grab some of the drafting I need to get done. Is that ok? Are you going to be ok?"

Elizabeth laughed. "Your studio is 4 floors down, Will. I think we'll manage."

Will smiled, kissed his wife's forehead, then his sleeping daughter's. He walked out to the foyer and closed the door behind him gently as he left.

When he got downstairs, he unlocked his studio door and picked up the mail that had been dropped through the slot that afternoon. He flipped through the letters idly. A bill, a magazine, junk mail, and a letter from one of the places he had applied for an exhibition. He opened it. It was a prestigious gallery in Central London and a long-shot. The envelope was thin, which was precisely what he had expected.

_Dear Mr. Turner, _

_I am writing because I am pleased to announce that your proposal for a solo exhibition at the London Galleries has been accepted! We were very impressed with your portfolio and work samples._

_The exhibition will begin in two week's time. You will be mailed an advance shortly, and then your work will be sold into private collections following the exhibition. We are proud to be a prestigious gallery with many high-profile collectors._

_Again, congratulations and we look forward to seeing your work!_

_With Sincerest Regards,_

_David Kirk_

_Executive Director_

Will dropped the rest of the mail he held, and ran back into the hallway, completely forgetting the sketchbook he had come down to get in the first place. Not wanting to deal with the lift, he ran up the stairs, taking them two and three at a time. He reached their floor and tore the door open, running into the bedroom. "Elizabeth!" he exclaimed.

However, he stopped when he saw her. She was fast asleep, one hand dangling into Kate's cradle. Kate slept soundly as well.

Will smiled, his heart swelling.

He climbed into bed next to his wife, curling his arm around her still swollen belly. He buried his face in her hair. She sighed in her sleep and subconsciously pushed herself up next to him, so that they laid like spoons.

Yes, Will thought to himself, I am the luckiest man alive. This is…this is perfect. And worth everything I had to go through for it. He pulled Elizabeth closer, if that was possible, and closed his eyes.

And with that, the little family slept.

_Maybe, maybe_

_We all are selfish_

_But maybe, maybe_

_It isn't over yet_

_Everybody knows that love is like a prairie fire_

_That sweeps across the field consuming it all_

_Everybody knows that love will never fade or flicker_

_That it's pure as the air we breathe._

_We've made mistakes that we can't change_

_But there's still time to start again_

_There's still time to start again_

The End.

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Who wants an epilogue?!?!?!?!


	16. Epilogue

Just so you're aware, I don't own these characters.

Unacymbal has informed me that this epilogue will "kill everyone". So thanks for all of your support, it's been nice knowing you, and be sure to leave a review if you manage to survive. :)

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Epilogue

3 YEARS LATER

"DADDY!" Kate defiantly slammed her juice down on the table. "Time to GO!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" Will looked at his watch. Sure enough, she was right. This was how they spent their days: after Elizabeth left for work in the morning, Will took Kate to the studio with him and in the afternoons they'd go to the park to play until Elizabeth got home. He put his charcoal down and ran up behind his daughter and scooped her up. "Where to, missy?"

"The park!" She giggled. "Now put me DOWN!"

Kate kicked her little legs vigorously, and her father released her. She gathered her favorite toy, a pink elephant called Hector that accompanied her everywhere she went. Will smiled as she walked over to her stroller and plopped Hector into the seat she normally occupied. She got behind the stroller and pushed it towards the door, an action that required her to raise her little arms above her head. It was all Will could do not to laugh. She was always making him laugh.

Kate stopped short of the door. "Daddy, where are my shades?"

"You want your shades?" Will asked, again, trying so hard not to laugh at his daughter. He was absolutely tickled pink by almost everything she did. She was cheerful, vibrant, whip-smart, outgoing and she had her mother's stubborn streak. And her mother's ability to talk him into just about anything. He reached into the bag he and Elizabeth packed for Kate's trips to Will's studio and their subsequent journeys to the park and pulled out tiny pink sunglasses. "What do you say?"

"Can I PLEASE have my shades?"

"That's my girl. Yes, you may," he said handing them to her. She put them on and looked over her shoulder and smiled.

Will walked over to Kate and picked her up, propping her on his hip. "How about you and Hector share that seat, eh?"

"No! He's my baby, so I gotta push him!"

"How about I help you push Hector to the park?"

"Umm...k!"

So, with Kate propped on his hip, he swung the bag into the stroller and off they went. He couldn't believe how fast she was growing. One minute, he was supporting her head carefully because she couldn't do so herself. The next, she was on the cusp of being too big to be carried like this. He knew he wasn't supposed to carry her around, that she needed to walk, etc, etc, but when she rested her little head on his shoulder as he maneuvered the stroller into the lift with one hand, he couldn't help but savor the moment. God, she'd be off to school in just a couple years. And in another moment, she'd be a teenager and she'd hate him and then in the next she'd be done with Uni and then after that, she'd be moved out with a family of her own…

They reached the park and Will spread their little blanket out over the ground. This was his second favorite part of the day. His favorite part when Elizabeth returned and they ate dinner together. As a little family. She had been promoted to Director of Development for her organization. Her talents, he thought, had finally been recognized and she seemed so happy to finally be in a role where she could really take ownership. It was like having Kate had switched something on inside of her. Not only had she been promoted, but she was an excellent mother; she stepped into the role easily and naturally. Will was amazed by her ability to just know what the best things were for Kate.

Will watched Kate play with Hector and a little doll she had dragged along. They were apparently having tea over there on the other end of the blanket and he had not been invited. Will reached behind him and picked a flower, which he extended to his daughter.

"Can I come to tea?"

"No. You're not supposed to pick the flowers. Mummy said."

"Ah, but Miss Katie, today is a special day."

"So I can pick the flowers?"

"Yes, but only because Mummy and I are going somewhere very special tonight…"

"AND GRANDPA'S COMING!!!" Kate stood up and clapped her little hands together.

"Mmhm. Grandpa is going to spend the night with you."

"So I can pick the flowers?"

"Only a few, and only because we're going to give them to Mummy. Do you think she'll like that?"

Kate grinned and nodded. Will's heart clenched. The smile of his child was like a tattoo: indelible art. She wasted no time in gathering a fistful of flowers, which she proudly presented to Will. "Is this good, Daddy?"

"It's perfect, Katie."

"You pick one, too! She's your family too!"

Will bent and picked a flower, handing it to Kate. "Yes she is." He looked down at his watch. "We've got to get home soon! Daddy needs to get ready before Mummy gets home."

Kate nodded solemnly. Will packed the bag quickly and loaded it, and Hector, into the stroller.

"You keep those flowers safe, ok?" Will said, taking her little hand in his. She nodded again, serious about her responsibility, and extended her arm out in front of her, carrying the flowers level and with a vice-like grip.

Eventually, they reached the loft. Will dutifully folded up the stroller and helped Kate get her shoes off.

"Ok, Kate. I've got to go get changed and washed up. Do you want a video?"

"Put on Motown!"

"Motown?!?" He tickled Kate and she giggled. "Haven't you had enough Motown?!"

"Nooo!" Kate said, between giggles. "It's my…" she giggled "Favorite!"

"Ok, ok." He said, releasing Kate and walking over to his old turntable that he somehow managed to still have after all these years. He put on a silly but classic old LP that had belonged to his parents that Kate had loved since she was a baby. Her first smile happened in her father's arms while her parents sang along to "Baby Love". As soon as she was mobile, she was dancing to "ABC". She knew the lyrics to "My Girl" before most children her age could string together sentences. Will had to admit, it absolutely cracked him up to see her singing and dancing around the living room. But, it would keep her out of trouble while he quickly showered and put on a suit.

Tonight would mark a very significant accomplishment for Will. He had been awarded a solo exhibition at the contemporary art museum in Central London and the gallery was to open tonight. Somehow, Kate's birth had inspired him as well, because his first solo exhibition had been a runaway success, with all pieces eventually selling into private collections. As his acclaim grew by word of mouth amongst some of London's most prestigious collectors of contemporary sculpture, commissions and offers for partnerships with architectural firms came rolling in. What a day it had been when he was consulted by the likes Frank Gehry! In any case, Will had become a popular, celebrated artisan. It seemed absolutely silly to him that he had worried so much about one lost commission. Everything, as far as he could tell, was meant to be. When Boeing approached him for another commission in the height of one of his busiest periods, they were the first to be declined.

He jumped out of the shower in record time, threw a towel over himself and ran out of the bathroom to check on Kate. He sighed with relief when he saw that she was just fine, swinging Hector around in circles in time with "Uptown Girl". He studied Kate intently, not sure how it was possible to love one person so intensely. Her milk chocolate hair curled wildly and fell in front of her big, round brown eyes as she bounced around. She smiled a wide, toothy smile at Hector. He scooted back into their bedroom, leaving the door open just in case. You can never be too careful with something this precious and irreplaceable, he often thought to himself.

He shook the water out of his hair, dried off and slipped into his suit. He rarely wore a suit, and he didn't really need to, but Elizabeth loved it. And he wanted to make tonight as special for her as it was supposed to be for him. She deserved it, his beautiful wife, the mother of his child. He walked out into the living room, where Kate was still dancing to her favorite record.

"Daddy!" She ran over to him and latched herself around his legs. "Daddy, since it's special tonight, you need to come to my beauty shop!"

"Kate, I don't know if…"

"Pleeeeeeease?!" And there were those big brown eyes. How could he resist?

"Ok, ok. It's going to need to be a pretty quick trip to the beauty shop, though, if we want to be done before Mummy gets home."

Barely before he could sit down on the floor in front of the couch, Kate had spread all of her bows, barrettes, combs, brushes and fake plastic makeup all over the place. She had a little smock she put around her father's shoulders before she went to work. How many other little girls had the benefit of a father who could wear barrettes? Will asked himself. "No lipstick tonight," she said sadly while tying a purple bow around a strand of Will's hair. "Since Mummy's going to be home soon."

Moments later, she took away her little smock and proudly presented her father with a little hand mirror that Elizabeth had given her. He studied her handiwork; his hair was arbitrarily covered in a vast cornucopia of multi-colored barrettes and bows.

"It's so nice!" he said genuinely to Kate. "You know just how to make things even more special!"

Kate grinned. "Now, you need the crown!" she exclaimed, holding up a little tiara.

"No, no…I think Mummy needs the crown. How about that?"

Kate pondered this suggestion for a moment before nodding vigorously. The track on the LP changed and as soon as she recognized the song, Kate gasped. "DADDY! Do Uptight with me!"

This was Kate's favorite and Will was certainly happy that his daughter's taste in music included Stevie Wonder, rather than those singing cucumbers or whatever he noticed her watching on TV. It had become sort of a tradition among them that she'd stand on his feet and they would dance to this song.

Kate stepped up on Will's dress shoes and he bent down to hold her hands and they started to dance.

"Daddy! You have to sing! You always sing!"

Will smiled and began to sing along with the music.

_I'm a poor man's son, from across the railroad tracks,_

_The only shirt I own is hangin' on my back,_

_But I'm the envy of ev'ry single guy_

_Since I'm the apple of my girl's eye._

_When we go out stepping on the town for a while_

_My money's low and my suit's out of style,_

_But it's all right if my clothes aren't new_

_Out of sight because my heart is true._

The door clicked open, unbeknownst to both Kate and Will. Elizabeth stood silently in the foyer, a bag of groceries propped on her hip. She beamed at what she saw: her daughter, laughing and dancing with her husband who was wearing his nice suit and several ribbons in his hair. It was heaven to return home to a scene like this.

Kate was the first to notice her mother standing in the doorway, and as soon as she did, she tore apart from her father and launched her little body into her mother's arms. Elizabeth scooped Kate up and kissed her. "Mummy, I missed you!"

"I missed you, too, Katie-bug!"

"Hey wait! I missed you, too! Where's my kiss?" Will asked.

Elizabeth looked at Will, trying her hardest to take him seriously. She couldn't help it; she started laughing before grabbing Will's face and kissing him, too. "Kate, you did a fantastic job with Daddy's hair!"

"Thank you. Oh, and Daddy says that you should wear the crown when you go out tonight." Kate walked back into the living room to grab her tiara and Elizabeth took the opportunity to kiss Will deeply. "You are a terrific dad, you know that?" She kissed him again. "I love you," she whispered.

"I love you, too" he answered, as Kate reappeared with the crown. Elizabeth bent down, allowing Kate to place the crown on her head.

"I think you're right, Katie. That's exactly what I needed. Thank you!"

"Oh, Kate, we forgot about our surprise!" Will said, picking Kate up and carrying her into the kitchen where the flowers from the park sat in water. A moment later, they reappeared, Kate still perched on Will's hip, only this time with a handful of flowers.

"We picked these for you in the park! Daddy said I could!"

Elizabeth shot a quick glare at Will before holding the flowers to her nose and inhaling deeply. "They're beautiful, honey. Thank you so much!"

Just then, there was a knock on the door. "IT'S GRANDPA!" Kate squealed, jumping down from Will's arms and running over to the door. She threw the door open. "GRANDPA!!"

Weatherby Swann stepped into the loft and scooped Kate into an embrace. "It's my Kate!" he exclaimed. "How are you tonight, little one?" Weatherby turned to greet Will and Elizabeth, stifling a laugh when he saw their beautiful hairdos. "Beauty shop tonight, eh?" he asked Kate.

"Yeah, but you don't have enough hair for bows, plus I put all of them on Daddy. So you'll just have to do lipstick!"

Kate took Weatherby by the hand and dragged him into the living room.

Things between Weatherby and his son-in-law had done a complete 180 since Kate's birth. As Weatherby watched Will step into fatherhood, they almost couldn't help but identify with one another. Suddenly, Weatherby realized that Will was simply doing the best he could and Will began to understand why Weatherby was so fiercely protective of his daughter. What began as an agreement to disagree managed to develop into a friendship over the course of several holidays and family dinners. Between Bill and Weatherby, the Turners could always count on a babysitter when they needed one. Weatherby was happy to do it, too: he remembered wishing he and Mary could spend some time alone when Elizabeth was a young child.

And tonight would in fact be special. Will took the bag of groceries from Elizabeth, kissing her lightly on the cheek.

"I'm going to get ready," she said. "There's some mac and cheese in there for Kate…"

Will nodded and pulled the blue box out of the bag, putting water on the stove. After Kate was born, he began to love Elizabeth even more, if that was possible. Her recovery from the pregnancy had been mercilessly fast and complete. Kate had always been healthy and happy, always ahead of the curve in her development. They had been extremely lucky.

He went through the plans for tonight in his head. First, they would meet Jack and Ana for dinner downtown. Then, the gallery opening, which, while he was looking forward to it, he was hoping they'd have the opportunity to make an inconspicuous exit because he had also booked a room at a five-star hotel downtown for the night. They hadn't done anything like that in ages and he was almost giddy to be going on such a formal date with his wife.

Elizabeth, on the other hand, knew nothing about the hotel room or about the little overnight bag stowed away in the trunk of the car (which Will sincerely hoped he'd packed correctly) or about her father sleeping over with Kate. What she did know, however, was that she could not find anything to wear. She thumbed through the clothing hanging in her closet before stopping on a little black dress that had been shoved to the back after years of neglect. She pulled it out, wondering if it would still fit…after what she had heard about mothers after their first child, she couldn't be sure. She slipped the dress on and smiled mischievously to herself. After all these years, after everything her body was going through, the dress still hugged her curves in the all the right places and highlighted her delicate, feminine shoulders and long, slender legs. Perfect, she thought to herself. She quickly pulled her hair back in a twist and put on a little eyeliner and lipstick and she was good to go. Well, almost good to go. She ran back into the closet and began to dig through her shoes before unearthing a pair of black peep-toe pumps that also had not been worn in years. She grinned and put them on, standing in front of the mirror. Damn, she thought. I look good. And it'll be awhile before I do this again.

She stepped out into the hallway, her heels clicking against the wood floors. As soon as she reached the kitchen she heard and loud _clang _and turned her head to see what was wrong. Will stood, mouth ajar, behind the stove, having just dropped the metal spoon to the floor.

"Are you ok?" she asked, smirking.

"I…uh…" Will shook himself. "You look…Wow. I'm just…"

Elizabeth grinned seductively before Kate came running into the room. "Mummy, you look so pretty!"

"Thank you, sweetie! Now, Daddy and I need to get going…"

"Ok, but where's your crown?!"

"Oh…Oh, right. Let me just get that and then we need to go." Elizabeth ran back into the bedroom and placed the plastic, bejeweled tiara on her head before joining her family in the kitchen. Will had managed to serve Kate a bowl of mac and cheese, which she was sitting at the table eating.

"Be good, Kate. We love you," Will said, kissing Kate's face.

"I love you too," she responded, wrapping her little arms around his neck.

"Daddy and I will be back soon, ok?" Elizabeth said, kissing Kate's head.

Kate grinned and looked at Will who winked at her. Kate made an attempt to wink back. And with that, they were off.

-------------------------------------------

Elizabeth had elected to drive, in order to give Will a chance to remove all of the ribbons and barrettes from his hair. Kate had done a magnificent job of spreading them all over his head, but he nonetheless got them all and smoothed his hair into a ponytail at the nape of his neck.

They arrived at the restaurant and found Jack and Ana sitting at the bar waiting for them. Things between those two had also improved. Somehow, Jack had let himself become tied down and they hadn't broken up since before Kate was born. They still bickered constantly, but it was meaningless: simply the product of two strong, passionate personalities. Jack had yet to take any kind of permanent leap with that relationship, and everyone highly doubted that he ever would. But the fact that he managed to change his tune and remain faithful to one person was impressive enough.

Dinner passed pleasantly, the four friends enjoying each other's company. Everyone was excited for what was to come: the exhibition Will was about to unveil had been long in the making and was directly inspired by significant moments in his life. By life in general, he had told everyone, because everyone eventually experiences the death of a loved one and everyone should have the opportunity to experience birth. He named the exhibition after something he had read somewhere: _Nell'ombre, nella luce_, which translated to "In shadow, in light" (but everyone knew that things, especially artsy things, sounded much prettier in Italian) and focused on direct contrasts: black and white, the turns people's lives took every day. He was highly lauded for coming up with these concepts, but they seemed so simple to him. Something as apparently routine as his marriage and the birth of his child had provided him with enough inspiration to last forever.

They left the restaurant, chattering happily, and walked to the art museum. When they entered, they saw Bill, as well as Mary, waiting there for them in the lobby. However, none of them had a chance to so much as congratulate Will before he was spirited away by museum officials to say hello to some important people. He grabbed Elizabeth's hand, taking her with. He loved to introduce her to these people, loved to show her off. She was, after all, his muse and she looked absolutely stunning tonight, glowing in a way Will hadn't seen or hadn't noticed in a long time.

After shaking the hands of several people whose names he'd try sincerely, but futilely, to remember, they were escorted into the gallery. Inside, they were greeted by servers with trays of champagne and hors d'ouevres, as well as a varied assortment of metal sculptures. People 'oohed' and 'ahhed' over Will's work instantly. He simply stood near the door and happily took the scene in.

A server approached them. "Champagne?"

"Oh, yes. Thanks," Will said, taking 2 flutes from the tray. He handed one to Elizabeth.

"Erm…not tonight." She smiled.

"Oh, come on. This is a big night!"

She took the glass and clinked it to Will's, and just as Mary, Bill, Jack and Ana approached them. As Will turned around, she set the glass down on a tray, abandoning it.

"Well, mate, I must say: I'm impressed!" Jack exclaimed. "I mean that genuinely and have no sarcastic remarks to speak of!"

Ana nodded, hugging Will, then Elizabeth. "Congratulations, you two," she said.

Bill also hugged Will and then even Mary pulled him into an embrace. She had also managed to forgive him of whatever it was she had held against him in the past.

"Well," Jack cleared his throat. "I need to get up there. They're letting me say a few words after they introduce you!"

Will raised his palm to his face and Elizabeth rolled her eyes. But Jack was already gone, with Ana in tow no less, and a museum official already stood at the podium. "Attention everyone!" the official began. "I'd like to be the first to officially welcome you to the exhibition "Nell'ombre, nella luce" featuring metalsmith William Turner, a London native. We're fortunate to be the first museum in the city to showcase his popular and highly acclaimed work." Everyone in the room applauded politely. The official continued, "tonight you will see a variety of new pieces designed to illustrate the sharp contrasts of contemporary everyday life, from birth to death. But first, a close friend of Mr. Turner's would like to say a few words."

The official stepped down and Jack stepped up to the microphone. "I...uh…First, I want to of course also thank everyone for coming. Will Turner has been my friend through thick and thin for several years now and have to say that I'm happy that his talents have finally been recognized." He paused. "And if you think this is good, you should hear him sing. Terrific soprano!" The crowd chuckled politely. "I kid, I kid. But…" he grabbed a champagne flute, "I raise my glass to a wonderful man who has taught me a lot, and inspired all of us." There was a smattering of "here here's" from the crowd, many of whom also raised their glasses. Will and Elizabeth, on the other hand, stood there in total disbelief of Jack's ability to say something normal and even flattering. "In fact," Jack said, fumbling for something in his pocket, "He, uh, doesn't realize this, I'm guessing, but he inspired me to do this." Jack walked over to Ana and got down on one knee. The crowd, but especially Ana, gasped simultaneously. "Ana, I'm sorry for everything I've forced you to endure over the last several years, but…I…I…" he stammered. Will crossed his arms smugly. Finally, something that rendered Jack incoherent that wasn't alcoholic! Jack continued "You're the only person I can ever see myself settling down with and I…I love you. Will you…" But Ana didn't let him finish the question before flinging herself into his arms. "Yes. Yes!" she exclaimed and the crowd applauded.

"Well," said Elizabeth, smiling and squeezing her husband's hand. "I'm impressed. I never thought I'd see the day."

Will just shook his head. "Anyone can surprise you, I guess."

After another several minutes of schmoozing, Will found Elizabeth chatting politely with one of the collectors who had purchased one of Will's pieces from a gallery he showed at in the past. Will greeted and politely thanked the man before excusing himself and Elizabeth.

"How about we get out of here?" Will asked, wrapping his arm around Elizabeth's waist. Other than the obvious, the tiny black dress and heels, he had no idea what it was about her lately that left him breathless.

Elizabeth pondered the question and looked at a clock. "Yes, I suppose you're right. We should probably get home so my dad doesn't have to drive back in the wee hours."

Will smiled, pulling her closer. "I didn't mean 'go home'."

Elizabeth eyed him quizzically. "Then where are we going?"

Will shrugged. "A walk along the Thames? Maybe some ice cream? How about a night at the Dorchester?"

Elizabeth gasped, smiling. "William Turner, you didn't!"

"I may have. And anyway, your father is planning on spending the night and I can assure you that we will not be missed by our daughter."

Elizabeth laughed, knowing how a visit from a grandparent generally meant that she and Will would be ignored until the grandparent in question went home.

"So, what do you think?"

"I think it sounds lovely!"

"Good. Well, then, let's get out of here. How does ice cream sound?"

"Wonderful."

---------------------------------------------------

And so, Will walked along the Thames under the lights and buzz of Central London, each with an ice cream cone. Elizabeth had shed her shoes and was walking barefoot along the sidewalk. They stopped periodically, just to watch the river. Their conversation came in fits and starts, but mostly they walked in a comfortable silence.

Elizabeth was the first to break the silence as they leaned against the guardrail. "Will, thank you."

"For what?"

"This." She paused. "Everything."

Will finished off his ice cream cone and weaved his arm around Elizabeth's shoulder. He had been married to her for almost five years now and felt more in love with her than he ever had. She relaxed into him as she finished her ice cream.

"Elizabeth, I…"

"Mmhm?"

"I just want to say that you look…Wow. Elizabeth, you look gorgeous tonight. I must be the luckiest man alive to have a wife as…"

"Says the dapper young man in his best suit! You clean up well yourself, thank you very much!" She leaned into him, laughing softly. "I've had fun tonight. Your exhibitions never cease to amaze me."

Will smiled. She was always saying that. "Lizzie, I've told you before and I'll tell you once more. I do everything I do because you and Kate inspire me."

"She is quite the little inspiration, is she not?"

"Well, I've been told that the instruction manual that comes with girls is 800 pages long, with chapters 14, 18, 22 and 36 missing and is very badly translated." Will laughed. "It's like every artist's dream come true!"

Elizabeth laughed with him.

"This is perfect, innit?" he asked her. She grinned and nodded. He pulled her close and kissed her.

As he kissed his wife, Will couldn't help but make the assertion to himself yet again that his life was utterly flawless: perfect wife, perfect daughter, perfect job. Everything was getting better: not only was his immediate family just like heaven, but his father was well, his relationship with his in-laws could be described as 'positive', even his best friend's commitment-phobia had eased.

They broke the kiss and continued to walk. Eventually, Elizabeth sighed and sat down on a bench. Wordlessly, Will sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders and she put her head on his chest. They sat like that for several minutes, not saying anything.

Elizabeth inhaled. "Will…I…"

Will however, had picked the same moment to break the silence. "So, Jack and Ana, eh? Did he tell you about that?"

Elizabeth sighed. "No. Didn't he tell you?"

"No, actually. I figured as I am the authority of all things committed relationship in his life, he'd ask me for advice if he ever decided to take the plunge. I feel sort of…blindsided!"

"Indeed." Elizabeth said quietly.

"I'm sorry, love. What were about to say?"

Elizabeth inhaled the late spring air and closed her eyes. She squeezed Will's hand.

"Will?" She turned and faced him, sitting knee-to-knee.

"Hm?" He looked into her eyes which were flickering with intensity and happiness and love. The last time he saw her eyes like that was…if he didn't know better he'd think she was…But it couldn't be!

"Will, I….I'm…" She smiled.

"What is it? Are you…"

"I'm pregnant."

FIN

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